Alkane Resources Limited's (ASX:ALK) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 9.2x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in Australia, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E's above 37x are quite common. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times haven't been advantageous for Alkane Resources as its earnings have been falling quicker 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.

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How Is Alkane Resources' Growth Trending?

Alkane Resources' 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.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 40% decrease to the company's bottom line. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 188% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. 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.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 3.8% per year during the coming three years according to the four analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 18% growth each year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

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

What We Can Learn From Alkane Resources' P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Alkane Resources maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.