Stock Analysis

Oracle Corporation's (NYSE:ORCL) Share Price Matching Investor Opinion

NYSE:ORCL
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With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 32.2x Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) 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 9x 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.

Recent times have been pleasing for Oracle as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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pe-multiple-vs-industry
NYSE:ORCL Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry May 21st 2024
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Is There Enough Growth For Oracle?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 25% last year. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 9.3% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 13% each year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 10% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Oracle's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Oracle maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with Oracle.

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.

Valuation is complex, but we're helping make it simple.

Find out whether Oracle is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.

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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.