With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 33.3x Jinyu Bio-technology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600201) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 27x and even P/E's lower than 17x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Jinyu Bio-technology has been doing relatively well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Jinyu Bio-technology.

How Is Jinyu Bio-technology's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Jinyu Bio-technology would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 65%. EPS has also lifted 10% in aggregate from three years ago, mostly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 31% as estimated by the nine analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 36% growth , the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

In light of this, it's alarming that Jinyu Bio-technology's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

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.

Our examination of Jinyu Bio-technology's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Jinyu Bio-technology with six simple checks.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Jinyu Bio-technology. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.