Those holding COSCO SHIPPING Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002401) shares would be relieved that the share price has rebounded 30% in the last thirty days, but it needs to keep going to repair the recent damage it has caused to investor portfolios. Unfortunately, despite the strong performance over the last month, the full year gain of 4.9% isn't as attractive.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about COSCO SHIPPING Technology's P/E ratio of 32.8x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in China is also close to 30x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

The earnings growth achieved at COSCO SHIPPING Technology over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this respectable earnings growth might not be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like COSCO SHIPPING Technology's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 8.6%. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 9.7% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

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.

With this information, we find it interesting that COSCO SHIPPING Technology is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

What We Can Learn From COSCO SHIPPING Technology's P/E?

COSCO SHIPPING Technology appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our examination of COSCO SHIPPING Technology revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted, given they look worse than current market expectations. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - COSCO SHIPPING Technology has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than COSCO SHIPPING 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.