Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd (SZSE:301232) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 27% share price drop in the last month. Longer-term shareholders will rue the drop in the share price, since it's now virtually flat for the year after a promising few quarters.

After such a large drop in price, Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology may be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 21.7x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 28x and even P/E's higher than 50x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

For example, consider that Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology's financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology's Growth Trending?

Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology'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.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 5.8%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 49% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 41% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's understandable that Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

What We Can Learn From Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology's P/E?

Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology's recently weak share price has pulled its P/E below most other companies. 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 Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its sliding earnings over the medium-term, 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 the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Finework (Hu Nan) New Energy Technology. 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.