When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 18x, you may consider Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) as an attractive investment with its 14.7x 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 limited.

Black Hills' negative earnings growth of late has neither been better nor worse than most other companies. It might be that many expect the company's earnings performance to degrade further, which has repressed the P/E. You'd much rather the company wasn't bleeding earnings if you still believe in the business. In saying that, existing shareholders may feel hopeful about the share price if the company's earnings continue tracking the market.

Is There Any Growth For Black Hills?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Black Hills would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 1.7%. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year EPS growth is still a noteworthy 5.2% in total. 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 3.9% per year during the coming three years according to the dual analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 10% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Black Hills is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

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

You need to take note of risks, for example - Black Hills has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Black Hills, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.