Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Gorilla Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ:GRRR) share price has dived 42% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain. Longer-term shareholders will rue the drop in the share price, since it's now virtually flat for the year after a promising few quarters.

Even after such a large drop in price, given about half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 15x, you may still consider Gorilla Technology Group as a highly attractive investment with its -1.3x 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 limited.

For example, consider that Gorilla 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 Gorilla Technology Group

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Gorilla Technology Group, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Gorilla Technology Group's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Gorilla Technology Group would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 28%. At least EPS has managed not to go completely backwards from three years ago in aggregate, thanks to the earlier period of growth. 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 5.0% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's understandable that Gorilla Technology Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

Shares in Gorilla Technology Group have plummeted and its P/E is now low enough to touch the ground. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of Gorilla Technology Group revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Gorilla Technology Group.

You might be able to find a better investment than Gorilla Technology Group. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.