When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 35x, you may consider Tianshan Aluminum Group Co.,Ltd (SZSE:002532) as a highly attractive investment with its 14.6x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. Or at the very least, you'd be hoping the earnings slide doesn't get any worse if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd

Is There Any Growth For Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd?

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

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 38%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 27% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 61% over the next year. With the market only predicted to deliver 44%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Final Word

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.

We've established that Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. At least price risks look to be very low, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd you should be aware of, and 1 of them is significant.

You might be able to find a better investment than Tianshan Aluminum GroupLtd. 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.