Beijing Labtech Instruments Co., Ltd. (SHSE:688056) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 27% 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 45% in that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, given close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 29x, you may still consider Beijing Labtech Instruments as a stock to avoid entirely with its 44.7x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Beijing Labtech Instruments has been very sluggish. It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Beijing Labtech Instruments

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Beijing Labtech Instruments' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 25% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 52% in aggregate. 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 76% during the coming year according to the two 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 Beijing Labtech Instruments 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 Bottom Line On Beijing Labtech Instruments' P/E

Beijing Labtech Instruments' shares may have retreated, but its P/E is still flying high. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that Beijing Labtech Instruments 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. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Beijing Labtech Instruments has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Beijing Labtech Instruments' 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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