Why Investors Shouldn't Be Surprised By Zhejiang Huangma Technology Co.,Ltd's (SHSE:603181) Low P/E

Zhejiang Huangma Technology Co.,Ltd's (SHSE:603181) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 17.3x might 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 32x and even P/E's above 59x are quite common. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. It seems that many are expecting the dour earnings performance to persist, which has repressed the P/E. If you still 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.

See our latest analysis for Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd

Keen to find out how analysts think Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 26% decrease to the company's bottom line. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year EPS growth is still a noteworthy 10% in total. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 28% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 37%, which is noticeably more attractive.

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

The Key Takeaway

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Zhejiang Huangma TechnologyLtd that you should be aware of.

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.