When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 34x, you may consider Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002727) as a highly attractive investment with its 13.6x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group has been doing quite well of late. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, 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.

View our latest analysis for Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 22% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 34% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 18% as estimated by the analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 44% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.