The Well Lead Medical Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603309) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 25%. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 26% in the last twelve months.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, Well Lead Medical may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 20.6x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 33x and even P/E's higher than 62x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

Recent times have been advantageous for Well Lead Medical as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Growth For Well Lead Medical?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Well Lead Medical's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 4.8%. Still, EPS has barely risen at all in aggregate from three years ago, which is not ideal. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 20% each year as estimated by the only analyst watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 25% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Well Lead Medical'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 Bottom Line On Well Lead Medical's P/E

Despite Well Lead Medical's shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. 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 Well Lead Medical 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.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Well Lead Medical (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you need to take into consideration.

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.