Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603260) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 27% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 40% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, Hoshine Silicon Industry may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 23.7x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 30x and even P/E's higher than 55x 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.

Hoshine Silicon Industry has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the dismal earnings performance to persist, which has repressed the P/E. 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.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Hoshine Silicon Industry.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Hoshine Silicon Industry's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 66% decrease to the company's bottom line. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 130% in total over the last three years. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 51% as estimated by the eight analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 41% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it odd that Hoshine Silicon Industry is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Bottom Line On Hoshine Silicon Industry's P/E

Hoshine Silicon Industry's stock might have been given a solid boost, but its P/E certainly hasn't reached any great heights. It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

Our examination of Hoshine Silicon Industry's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 4 warning signs for Hoshine Silicon Industry (2 make us uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on 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.