Time Publishing and Media Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:600551) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 13.4x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 35x and even P/E's above 63x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

Time Publishing and Media has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this respectable earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Time Publishing and Media

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Time Publishing and Media's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 26% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 112% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 44% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's understandable that Time Publishing and Media's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Time Publishing and Media's P/E?

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Time Publishing and Media maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Time Publishing and Media that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Time Publishing and Media. 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.