Zhejiang AngLiKang Pharmaceutical CO.,LTD. (SZSE:002940) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 28% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 31% share price drop.

After such a large drop in price, given about half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 30x, you may consider Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD as an attractive investment with its 20.3x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings at a solid pace. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD

How Is Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 13% gain to the company's bottom line. EPS has also lifted 9.7% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 42% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we can see why Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

The Key Takeaway

The softening of Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD's shares means its P/E is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Zhejiang AngLiKang PharmaceuticalLTD that you need to take into consideration.

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.