Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited's (HKG:371) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 13.5x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in Hong Kong, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 10x and even P/E's below 6x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Beijing Enterprises Water Group's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for Beijing Enterprises Water Group

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How Is Beijing Enterprises Water Group's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Beijing Enterprises Water Group would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 17% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 57% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 14% per annum as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 12% per annum, which is not materially different.

In light of this, it's curious that Beijing Enterprises Water Group's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

What We Can Learn From Beijing Enterprises Water Group's P/E?

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.

We've established that Beijing Enterprises Water Group currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is only in line with the wider market. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Beijing Enterprises Water Group that you should be aware of.

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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