Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) Doing What It Can To Lift Shares

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 13.5x Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 17x and even P/E's higher than 33x 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 limited.

Oshkosh certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Oshkosh

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Oshkosh.

Is There Any Growth For Oshkosh?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Oshkosh's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 330%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 69% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 12% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 13% growth each year, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Oshkosh's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

The Bottom Line On Oshkosh'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.

We've established that Oshkosh currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is in line with the wider market. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the outlook. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Our free balance sheet analysis for Oshkosh with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Oshkosh. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.