With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 46x George Weston Limited (TSE:WN) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Canada have P/E ratios under 14x and even P/E's lower than 8x are not unusual. 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.
George Weston has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster 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 George Weston
Is There Enough Growth For George Weston?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like George Weston's to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 56% decrease to the company's bottom line. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 28% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 40% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 8.5% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.
In light of this, it's understandable that George Weston's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
The Bottom Line On George Weston's P/E
It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
We've established that George Weston maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for George Weston (1 is potentially serious) 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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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.
About TSX:WN
George Weston
Provides food and drug retailing, and financial services in Canada.
Average dividend payer with mediocre balance sheet.
