Rockontrol Technology Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:688051) shares have had a horrible month, losing 26% after a relatively good period beforehand. Still, a bad month hasn't completely ruined the past year with the stock gaining 33%, which is great even in a bull market.

Although its price has dipped substantially, given about half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 35x, you may still consider Rockontrol Technology Group as a highly attractive investment with its -9.2x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

For example, consider that Rockontrol Technology Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

View our latest analysis for Rockontrol Technology Group

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Rockontrol Technology Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Any Growth For Rockontrol Technology Group?

Rockontrol Technology Group's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 62%. Unfortunately, that's brought it right back to where it started three years ago with EPS growth being virtually non-existent overall during that time. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 44% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we can see why Rockontrol Technology Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

The Bottom Line On Rockontrol Technology Group's P/E

Rockontrol Technology Group's P/E looks about as weak as its stock price lately. 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 Rockontrol Technology Group maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Having said that, be aware Rockontrol Technology Group is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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.