Subdued Growth No Barrier To CorVel Corporation's (NASDAQ:CRVL) Price

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 67.5x CorVel Corporation (NASDAQ:CRVL) 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 18x 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.

The earnings growth achieved at CorVel over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for CorVel

Although there are no analyst estimates available for CorVel, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 13%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 49% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

It's interesting to note that the rest of the market is similarly expected to grow by 15% over the next year, which is fairly even with the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's curious that CorVel's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Nevertheless, they may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On CorVel's P/E

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 CorVel currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is only in line with the wider market forecast. When we see average earnings with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - CorVel has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on CorVel, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.