GoldenHome Living Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603180) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 28% share price drop in the last month. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 46% in that time.

Since its price has dipped substantially, GoldenHome Living may be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 10x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 27x and even P/E's higher than 48x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

Recent times haven't been advantageous for GoldenHome Living as its earnings have been falling quicker than most other companies. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, GoldenHome Living would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 20%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 9.2% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the five 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 41%, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why GoldenHome Living is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On GoldenHome Living's P/E

GoldenHome Living's P/E looks about as weak as its stock price lately. 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 GoldenHome Living's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. 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.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for GoldenHome Living (1 can't be ignored) you should be aware of.

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

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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.