Decai Decoration CO.,LTD (SHSE:605287) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 41% share price jump in the last month. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 8.7% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, Decai DecorationLTD may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 17.8x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 32x and even P/E's higher than 62x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

For instance, Decai DecorationLTD's receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. 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 out of favour.

Is There Any Growth For Decai DecorationLTD?

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 44%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 59% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

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 are not surprised that Decai DecorationLTD is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Final Word

Despite Decai DecorationLTD's shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Decai DecorationLTD revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

It is also worth noting that we have found 4 warning signs for Decai DecorationLTD (2 are potentially serious!) that you need to take into consideration.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Decai DecorationLTD. 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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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.