Jiayou International Logistics Co.,Ltd (SHSE:603871) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 29% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Looking further back, the 25% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

Although its price has surged higher, Jiayou International LogisticsLtd may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 15.3x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 26x and even P/E's higher than 45x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for Jiayou International LogisticsLtd as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 53% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 125% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 15% during the coming year according to the seven analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 41% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's P/E?

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's P/E close to the market median. Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Jiayou International LogisticsLtd maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. 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 1 warning sign for Jiayou International LogisticsLtd you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on 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.