Hunan Friendship&Apollo Commercial Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002277) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 38% gain in the last month alone. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 4.7% in the last twelve months.

After such a large jump in price, Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 67.8x might 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 33x and even P/E's below 20x are quite common. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd has been doing very well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings growth will be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 49%. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 75% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 37% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this information, we find it concerning that Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd 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. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

The strong share price surge has got Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd's P/E rushing to great heights as well. 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 Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term aren't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given the market is set to grow. 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.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Hunan Friendship&Apollo CommercialLtd has 3 warning signs (and 2 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and 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.