With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.6x Guangxi LiuYao Group Co., Ltd (SHSE:603368) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 29x and even P/E's higher than 52x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

Recent times have been pleasing for Guangxi LiuYao Group as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. 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 not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Growth For Guangxi LiuYao Group?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Guangxi LiuYao Group's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 25% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 8.1% overall rise in EPS, aided extensively by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 21% during the coming year according to the two analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 41% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Guangxi LiuYao Group 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 Guangxi LiuYao 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 Guangxi LiuYao Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

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

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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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.