Cleanaway Waste Management Limited (ASX:CWY) Not Flying Under The Radar

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 37.8x Cleanaway Waste Management Limited (ASX:CWY) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Australia have P/E ratios under 21x and even P/E's lower than 12x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

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Recent times haven't been advantageous for Cleanaway Waste Management as its earnings have been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring earnings performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Cleanaway Waste Management

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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Cleanaway Waste Management's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any earnings per share growth to speak of for the company over the past year. However, a few strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 84% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the twelve analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 25% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 18% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Cleanaway Waste Management's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that Cleanaway Waste Management maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. 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.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Cleanaway Waste Management with six simple checks.

You might be able to find a better investment than Cleanaway Waste Management. 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.