Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:605016) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 24x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 36x and even P/E's above 70x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech has been doing quite well of late. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 34%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 102% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 44% over the next year. With the market only predicted to deliver 40%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we find it odd that Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Having said that, be aware Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those can't be ignored.

If you're unsure about the strength of Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-Tech's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.