Tianjin Troila Information Technology Co.,Ltd. (SHSE:600225) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 28% share price drop in the last month. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 43% in that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 22.6x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 31x and even P/E's above 57x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

For instance, Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Growth For Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 59%. At least EPS has managed not to go completely backwards from three years ago in aggregate, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 39% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

In light of this, it's understandable that Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's P/E

The softening of Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd's shares means its P/E is now sitting at a pretty low level. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. 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 rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Having said that, be aware Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Tianjin Troila Information TechnologyLtd. 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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