When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 17x, you may consider The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) as an attractive investment with its 13.9x 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.  

Kraft Heinz 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.   It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E.  If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.    

NasdaqGS:KHC Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry June 15th 2024

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Kraft Heinz will help you uncover what's on the horizon.  

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?  

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 17% gain to the company's bottom line.   The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 425% in total over the last three years.  So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.  

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 14%  each year as estimated by the analysts watching the company.  That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 9.9% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Kraft Heinz's P/E sits below the majority of other companies.  Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.  

The Bottom Line On Kraft Heinz's P/E

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.

Our examination of Kraft Heinz's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted.  When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio.  It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.    

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

If you're unsure about the strength of Kraft Heinz'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.

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