When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 27x, you may consider Jade Bird Fire Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002960) as a highly attractive investment with its 13.2x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Jade Bird Fire certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon. 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.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Jade Bird Fire's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 3.6% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen a 26% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 20% as estimated by the three analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 42%, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Jade Bird Fire 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 Key Takeaway

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 Jade Bird Fire'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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Jade Bird Fire that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Jade Bird Fire. 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.