When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 32x, you may consider Shahe Industrial Co., Ltd (SZSE:000014) as a highly attractive investment with its 5.7x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Shahe Industrial as its earnings have been rising very briskly. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Shahe Industrial

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Shahe Industrial's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 122% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 1,110% 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 42% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we find it odd that Shahe Industrial is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Shahe Industrial's P/E?

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.

Our examination of Shahe Industrial revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current market expectations. When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. At least price risks look to be very low if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Shahe Industrial 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.