With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 17x in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Patria Investments Limited's (NASDAQ:PAX) P/E ratio of 18.5x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Patria Investments has been doing quite well of late. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to deteriorate like the rest, which has kept the P/E from rising. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Patria Investments

Is There Some Growth For Patria Investments?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Patria Investments' is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 94% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 43% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 31% over the next year. With the market only predicted to deliver 9.9%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Patria Investments is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently some shareholders are skeptical of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Patria Investments' P/E?

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our examination of Patria Investments' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Patria Investments that you need to take into consideration.

If you're unsure about the strength of Patria Investments' 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.