Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp.'s (SHSE:600699) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 20.9x 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 61x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

Ningbo Joyson Electronic certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Ningbo Joyson Electronic's Growth Trending?

Ningbo Joyson Electronic'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 an exceptional 54% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 42% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 20% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 23% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Ningbo Joyson Electronic'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

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Ningbo Joyson Electronic maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 3 warning signs for Ningbo Joyson Electronic (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that we have uncovered.

You might be able to find a better investment than Ningbo Joyson Electronic. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.