Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600133) Shares Fly 37% But Investors Aren't Buying For Growth

Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600133) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 37% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 82% in the last year.

Even after such a large jump in price, Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 23.1x might still 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 31x and even P/E's above 56x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

For instance, Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group's receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Any Growth For Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group?

Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group'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.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 20%. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 23% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 42% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we can see why Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group's P/E?

Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group's stock might have been given a solid boost, but its P/E certainly hasn't reached any great heights. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant).

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Wuhan East Lake High Technology Group. 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.