It's not a stretch to say that BOC International (China) CO., LTD's (SHSE:601696) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 34.5x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in China, where the median P/E ratio is around 34x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

BOC International (China) certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think the company's earnings will be less resilient moving forward. 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 not quite in favour.

See our latest analysis for BOC International (China)

Does Growth Match The P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like BOC International (China)'s to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow earnings per share by a handy 4.4% last year. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 6.0% overall drop in EPS. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 26% as estimated by the two analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 44% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's curious that BOC International (China)'s P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On BOC International (China)'s P/E

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.

Our examination of BOC International (China)'s analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for BOC International (China) you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than BOC International (China). If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.