Despite an already strong run, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 27% in the last thirty days.    The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 50%.  

Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Louisiana-Pacific 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.  

Recent times haven't been advantageous for Louisiana-Pacific as its earnings have been falling quicker than most other companies.   It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing.  You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.    

NYSE:LPX Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry May 21st 2024

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Louisiana-Pacific.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?  

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Louisiana-Pacific's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.  

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 44%.   As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 48% overall.  Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.  

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 19% per year during the coming three years according to the eleven analysts following the company.  Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Louisiana-Pacific's P/E sits above the majority of other companies.  It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.  

The Final Word

Louisiana-Pacific shares have received a push in the right direction, but its P/E is elevated too.      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 Louisiana-Pacific 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.    

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

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 low P/E).

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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.