Jiangsu Cnano Technology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:688116) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 50% gain in the last month alone. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 28% in the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, Jiangsu Cnano Technology's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 41.7x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 36x and even P/E's below 21x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Jiangsu Cnano Technology has been doing quite well of late. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Jiangsu Cnano Technology's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 23% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 36% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 29% during the coming year according to the six analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 41% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's alarming that Jiangsu Cnano Technology's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

The large bounce in Jiangsu Cnano Technology's shares has lifted the company's P/E to a fairly high level. 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.

Our examination of Jiangsu Cnano Technology's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Jiangsu Cnano Technology 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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