Sentiment Still Eluding Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 14x in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Lowe's Companies, Inc.'s (NYSE:LOW) P/E ratio of 14.6x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Recent times have been advantageous for Lowe's Companies as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this strong earnings performance might be about to tail off. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

View our latest analysis for Lowe's Companies

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If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Lowe's Companies.

How Is Lowe's Companies' Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Lowe's Companies' is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 32% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 327% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 13% per annum over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 9.6% per annum, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

In light of this, it's curious that Lowe's Companies' P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

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.

Our examination of Lowe's Companies' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Having said that, be aware Lowe's Companies is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20x).

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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.

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