Shandong Taihe Technologies Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300801) shares have had a horrible month, losing 26% after a relatively good period beforehand. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 45% share price drop.

Since its price has dipped substantially, Shandong Taihe Technologies' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 14.5x 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 30x and even P/E's above 54x 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.

For instance, Shandong Taihe Technologies' receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Shandong Taihe Technologies

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 61% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 13% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 42% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's understandable that Shandong Taihe Technologies' P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.

What We Can Learn From Shandong Taihe Technologies' P/E?

Shares in Shandong Taihe Technologies have plummeted and its P/E is now low enough to touch the ground. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Shandong Taihe Technologies revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

Having said that, be aware Shandong Taihe Technologies is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Shandong Taihe 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.