With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 15.4x Shenzhen Huijie Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002763) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 27x and even P/E's higher than 48x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

For example, consider that Shenzhen Huijie Group's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as earnings growth is non-existent. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this benign earnings growth rate will likely underperform the broader market in the near future. 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.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any earnings per share growth to speak of for the company over the past year. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 30% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

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

In light of this, it's understandable that Shenzhen Huijie Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

What We Can Learn From Shenzhen Huijie Group's P/E?

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 Shenzhen Huijie Group revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Shenzhen Huijie Group that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Shenzhen Huijie Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.