It's not a stretch to say that Gentex Corporation's (NASDAQ:GNTX) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 18.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in the United States, where the median P/E ratio is around 17x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Gentex certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think the company's earnings will be less resilient moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Some Growth For Gentex?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like Gentex's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 35% gain to the company's bottom line. EPS has also lifted 23% in aggregate from three years ago, mostly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the nine analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 12% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 9.9% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that Gentex's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are skeptical of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Gentex's P/E?

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 Gentex currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/E ratio. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Gentex with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Gentex. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.