To the annoyance of some shareholders, Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology Corp. Ltd. (SHSE:688655) shares are down a considerable 27% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 46% in that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 72.6x might still make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 29x and even P/E's below 18x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

For example, consider that Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology's financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 71%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 81% in total over the last three years. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 36% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

With this information, we find it concerning that Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Final Word

A significant share price dive has done very little to deflate Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology's very lofty P/E. 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 Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as this earnings performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with Shenzhen Xunjiexing Technology (including 2 which are significant).

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.

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