With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 59.2x Digital China Information Service Group Company Ltd. (SZSE:000555) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 33x and even P/E's lower than 19x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

Digital China Information Service Group has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will turn things around completely and accelerate past most others in the market. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Digital China Information Service Group

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Digital China Information Service Group would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 42%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 57% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 163% during the coming year according to the two analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 43%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Digital China Information Service Group's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Digital China Information Service Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Digital China Information Service Group that we have uncovered.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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