Baolingbao Biology Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002286) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 36% gain and recovering from prior weakness. While recent buyers may be laughing, long-term holders might not be as pleased since the recent gain only brings the stock back to where it started a year ago.

Even after such a large jump in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Baolingbao BiologyLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 32.4x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in China, where the median P/E ratio is around 34x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

The earnings growth achieved at Baolingbao BiologyLtd over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to wane, which has kept the P/E from rising. 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 not quite in favour.

Does Growth Match The P/E?

Baolingbao BiologyLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 21% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 26% overall rise in EPS, aided extensively by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 37% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we find it interesting that Baolingbao BiologyLtd is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Key Takeaway

Baolingbao BiologyLtd appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. 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.

We've established that Baolingbao BiologyLtd currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. 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. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Baolingbao BiologyLtd that we have uncovered.

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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