When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 32x, you may consider NARI Technology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600406) as an attractive investment with its 27.3x 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 limited.

NARI Technology certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is NARI Technology's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as NARI Technology's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 16%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 47% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 17% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 36%, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that NARI Technology's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From NARI Technology's P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that NARI Technology maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for NARI Technology that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.