With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 46.2x FuJian YanJing HuiQuan Brewery Co.,Ltd (SHSE:600573) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 29x and even P/E's lower than 18x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

Earnings have risen firmly for FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Is There Enough Growth For FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 25%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 85% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 36% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we find it concerning that FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd's P/E

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as this earnings performance isn't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Our free balance sheet analysis for FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

You might be able to find a better investment than FuJian YanJing HuiQuan BreweryLtd. 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.