When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 36x, you may consider China South Publishing & Media Group Co., Ltd (SHSE:601098) as a highly attractive investment with its 11.8x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

There hasn't been much to differentiate China South Publishing & Media Group's and the market's retreating earnings lately. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings may begin to slide even faster. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. At the very least, you'd be hoping that earnings don't fall off a cliff if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Check out our latest analysis for China South Publishing & Media Group

How Is China South Publishing & Media Group's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, China South Publishing & Media Group would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 1.3% decrease to the company's bottom line. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 15% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing earnings over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 13% as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 43%, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that China South Publishing & Media Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Final Word

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that China South Publishing & Media Group maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for China South Publishing & Media Group with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.

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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.