When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 65.6x 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 so lofty.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Intuit has been doing quite well of late. 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.

Is There Enough Growth For Intuit?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 43% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 49% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has 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 20% per year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Intuit 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.

What We Can Learn From Intuit's P/E?

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Intuit'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.

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

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

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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.