Pinning Down Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CORE) P/E Is Difficult Right Now

Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CORE) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 23.8x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 18x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for Core-Mark Holding Company 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. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Core-Mark Holding Company

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If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Core-Mark Holding Company.

Is There Enough Growth For Core-Mark Holding Company?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Core-Mark Holding Company would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 11%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 48% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 13% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be similar to the 12% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's curious that Core-Mark Holding Company's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

What We Can Learn From Core-Mark Holding Company's P/E?

The price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our examination of Core-Mark Holding Company's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are uncomfortable with the relatively high share price as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Core-Mark Holding Company you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of Core-Mark Holding Company's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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