Market Participants Recognise Hub Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:HUBG) Earnings

When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 20x P/E ratio. 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.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Hub Group has been very sluggish. It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Hub Group

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Hub Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 58%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 83% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 16% per annum during the coming three years according to the twelve analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 10% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Hub Group is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Hub Group'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. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Hub Group 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.