With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 33x in China, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Company Limited's (SHSE:600760) P/E ratio of 35.8x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, AVIC Shenyang Aircraft has been doing relatively well. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this strong earnings performance might be about to tail off. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Is There Some Growth For AVIC Shenyang Aircraft?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like AVIC Shenyang Aircraft's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 25%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 147% 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.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 20% per annum as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 25% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that AVIC Shenyang Aircraft's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Bottom Line On AVIC Shenyang Aircraft's P/E

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.

Our examination of AVIC Shenyang Aircraft's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for AVIC Shenyang Aircraft you should be aware of.

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.