When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 16x, you may consider Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 24.8x 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.  

There hasn't been much to differentiate Charles River Laboratories International's and the market's retreating earnings lately.   It might be that many expect the company's earnings to strengthen positively despite the tough market conditions, which has kept the P/E from falling.  If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.    

NYSE:CRL Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry April 27th 2024

Keen to find out how analysts think Charles River Laboratories International's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?  

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 3.1%.   Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 26% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth.  Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.  

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 9.2% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company.  That's shaping up to be similar to the 11% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it interesting that Charles River Laboratories International is trading at a high P/E compared to the market.  It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock.  Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the share price eventually.  

What We Can Learn From Charles River Laboratories International's P/E?

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.

We've established that Charles River Laboratories International currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is only in line with the wider market.  When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower.  This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Charles River Laboratories International that you need to be mindful of.  

If you're unsure about the strength of Charles River Laboratories International'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.