Investors Still Waiting For A Pull Back In Raven Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAVN)
When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Raven Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAVN) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 33.5x 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 lofty.
Recent times haven't been advantageous for Raven Industries 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. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
View our latest analysis for Raven Industries
Keen to find out how analysts think Raven Industries' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.
How Is Raven Industries' Growth Trending?
Raven Industries' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than 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 39%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 24% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 23% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 13% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.
With this information, we can see why Raven Industries is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
The Key Takeaway
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.
As we suspected, our examination of Raven Industries' 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.
Having said that, be aware Raven Industries is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.
You might be able to find a better investment than Raven Industries. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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