When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 17x, you may consider Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE:OXM) as an attractive investment with its 11.3x 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.

Oxford Industries' negative earnings growth of late has neither been better nor worse than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings may begin to slide even faster. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. 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 Oxford Industries?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Oxford Industries' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any earnings per share growth to speak of for the company over the past year. That's essentially a continuation of what we've seen over the last three years, as its EPS growth has been virtually non-existent for that entire period. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has definitely eluded the company recently.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 3.5% as estimated by the six analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 11% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Oxford Industries' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

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 Oxford Industries 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.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Oxford Industries you should know about.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Oxford Industries. 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.