With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 37.2x Sino-High (China) Co., Ltd. (SZSE:301076) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 30x and even P/E's lower than 18x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

Sino-High (China) hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Sino-High (China) would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 14% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 2.3% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the one analyst covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 84% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 39%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Sino-High (China)'s P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Sino-High (China) maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Sino-High (China) you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Sino-High (China), explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.