The Shanghai Yanpu Metal Products Co.,Ltd (SHSE:605128) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 25%. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 22% in that time.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd may still be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 47.3x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 31x and even P/E's lower than 19x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd has been doing quite well of late. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd

How Is Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 27%. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year EPS frustratingly shrank by 30% overall. 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 134% during the coming year according to the three analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 42% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

Even after such a strong price drop, Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd's P/E still exceeds the rest of the market significantly. 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.

We've established that Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd that you need to take into consideration.

If you're unsure about the strength of Shanghai Yanpu Metal ProductsLtd's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.