With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 53x Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300623) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 34x and even P/E's lower than 20x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics

Is There Enough Growth For Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 49% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 21% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 132% during the coming year according to the one analyst following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 43% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics' P/E

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Having said that, be aware Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Jiangsu JieJie Microelectronics, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.