With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 9x in Hong Kong, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Shenzhen International Holdings Limited's (HKG:152) P/E ratio of 7.4x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

Recent times have been advantageous for Shenzhen International Holdings as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. 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.

How Is Shenzhen International Holdings' Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Shenzhen International Holdings would need to produce growth that's similar to the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 48%. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 57% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 25% per year during the coming three years according to the four analysts following the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 15% per annum, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Shenzhen International Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Final Word

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 Shenzhen International Holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Shenzhen International Holdings (1 is significant!) that we have uncovered.

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.