Zhe Kuang Heavy Industry Co.,Ltd.'s (SZSE:300837) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.9x 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 64x 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.

There hasn't been much to differentiate Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd's and the market's retreating earnings lately. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings may begin to slide even faster. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. At the very least, you'd be hoping that earnings don't fall off a cliff if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd

Is There Any Growth For Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 1.3%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 101% in total over the last three years. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 21% as estimated by the lone analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 43% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd's P/E?

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd 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. 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 2 warning signs for Zhe Kuang Heavy IndustryLtd (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

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.