When close to half the companies in the United Kingdom have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 14x, you may consider IMI plc (LON:IMI) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 17.7x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.
With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, IMI has been doing quite well of late. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Check out our latest analysis for IMI
How Is IMI's Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, IMI would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 18% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 65% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 10% each year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be similar to the 12% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.
With this information, we find it interesting that IMI is trading at a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.
The Bottom Line On IMI's 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.
Our examination of IMI's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
Having said that, be aware IMI is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.
If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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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 LSE:IMI
IMI
An engineering company, engages in the design, manufacturing, and servicing of engineering products in the United Kingdom, Germany, rest of Europe, the United States, rest of the Americas, China, rest of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.
Solid track record with excellent balance sheet.
