Hub Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:HUBG) Popularity With Investors Is Clear
When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 20.1x 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 lofty.
Recent times haven't been advantageous for Hub Group as its earnings have been falling quicker than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will turn things around completely and accelerate past most others in the market. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Hub Group
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Hub Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.
Is There Enough Growth For Hub Group?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Hub Group's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine 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%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 67% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 16% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 13% per year growth forecast for the broader market.
With this information, we can see why Hub Group is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
The Final Word
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 Hub Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Hub Group that you need to take into consideration.
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 P/E below 20x.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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