There's Reason For Concern Over Curtiss-Wright Corporation's (NYSE:CW) Price

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 43.3x Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 17x and even P/E's lower than 10x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Curtiss-Wright has been doing relatively well. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Curtiss-Wright

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Is There Enough Growth For Curtiss-Wright?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Curtiss-Wright would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 16% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 83% 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.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 11% per annum during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 10% each year, which is not materially different.

In light of this, it's curious that Curtiss-Wright's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. 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 Curtiss-Wright's P/E

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.

We've established that Curtiss-Wright currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is only in line with the wider market. 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.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Curtiss-Wright that 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.