With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 21.1x MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) may be sending 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. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.
MetLife 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 MetLife
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as MetLife's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 4.6% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 22% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 39% per year as estimated by the nine analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.
With this information, we can see why MetLife is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
What We Can Learn From MetLife'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.
As we suspected, our examination of MetLife's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
You always need to take note of risks, for example - MetLife has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
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 NYSE:MET
MetLife
A financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide.
Established dividend payer with mediocre balance sheet.
