Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000837) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 32% share price drop in the last month. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 35% share price drop.

Although its price has dipped substantially, Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share may still be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 47.6x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 27x and even P/E's lower than 17x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

Is There Enough Growth For Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 35%. At least EPS has managed not to go completely backwards from three years ago in aggregate, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 42% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's alarming that Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. 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 Final Word

Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share's shares may have retreated, but its P/E is still flying high. 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 Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share 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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 3 warning signs for Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool Group Share's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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