Suzhou Maxwell Technologies Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:300751) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 39x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 35x and even P/E's below 20x are quite common. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

There hasn't been much to differentiate Suzhou Maxwell Technologies' and the market's retreating earnings lately. It might be that many expect the company's earnings to strengthen positively despite the tough market conditions, which has kept the P/E from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Suzhou Maxwell Technologies

How Is Suzhou Maxwell Technologies' Growth Trending?

Suzhou Maxwell Technologies' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's bottom line as the year before. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 126% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its uninspiring short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 39% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 23% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Suzhou Maxwell Technologies' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Suzhou Maxwell Technologies' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Suzhou Maxwell Technologies (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Suzhou Maxwell Technologies. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.