With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 16.9x LB Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002601) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 34x and even P/E's higher than 62x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, LB Group has been very sluggish. It seems that many are expecting the dismal earnings performance to persist, which has repressed the P/E. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for LB Group

Is There Any Growth For LB Group?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 44% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 20% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 71% during the coming year according to the ten analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 44%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's peculiar that LB Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced at all that the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Key Takeaway

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 LB Group 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. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for LB Group (2 are a bit concerning) you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on 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.