With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 21x The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 16x and even P/E's lower than 9x are not unusual.  However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.  

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Greenbrier Companies has been doing quite well of late.   It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock.  If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.    

Check out our latest analysis for Greenbrier Companies

NYSE:GBX Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry December 19th 2023

Keen to find out how analysts think Greenbrier Companies' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is Greenbrier Companies' Growth Trending?  

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 36%.   The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 34% in total over the last three years.  Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.  

Shifting to the future, estimates from the five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 87% over the next year.  Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10%, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Greenbrier Companies is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market.  Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.  

The Key Takeaway

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Greenbrier Companies' 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.  Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for Greenbrier Companies (1 is potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful of.  

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Greenbrier Companies, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.