Shanxi Meijin Energy Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:000723) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 48% in that time.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 23.8x, 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.

Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. You'd much rather the company wasn't bleeding earnings if you still believe in the business. Or at the very least, you'd be hoping the earnings slide doesn't get any worse if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

How Is Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd's Growth Trending?

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 61%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 48% in total over the last three years. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 35% as estimated by the one analyst watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 41%, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd's P/E

Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd's recently weak share price has pulled its P/E below most other companies. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Shanxi Meijin EnergyLtd (including 1 which is concerning).

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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