With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 35.2x C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 18x and even P/E's lower than 11x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, C.H. Robinson Worldwide's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

How Is C.H. Robinson Worldwide's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, C.H. Robinson Worldwide would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 11% decrease to the company's bottom line. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 48% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 25% per year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 11% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why C.H. Robinson Worldwide is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On C.H. Robinson Worldwide's P/E

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

As we suspected, our examination of C.H. Robinson Worldwide's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for C.H. Robinson Worldwide (1 doesn't sit too well with us) you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than C.H. Robinson Worldwide. 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.