Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:POWL) shares have retraced a considerable 26% in the last month, reversing a fair amount of their solid recent performance. The good news is that in the last year, the stock has shone bright like a diamond, gaining 205%.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, Powell Industries' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 19.5x might still 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 16x and even P/E's below 9x are quite common. 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.

Recent times have been pleasing for Powell Industries as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Is There Enough Growth For Powell Industries?

Powell Industries' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 334% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 457% 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.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 18% during the coming year according to the two analysts following the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 11%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Powell Industries is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Powell Industries' P/E

Despite the recent share price weakness, Powell Industries' P/E remains higher than most other companies. While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Powell Industries maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Powell Industries that you need to take into consideration.

If you're unsure about the strength of Powell Industries' 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.