When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 16x, you may consider Flowserve Corporation (NYSE:FLS) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 22.1x P/E ratio.  Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.  

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Flowserve has been doing quite well of late.   The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most.  You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.    

View our latest analysis for Flowserve

NYSE:FLS Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry December 26th 2023

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

How Is Flowserve's Growth Trending?  

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Flowserve would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.  

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 191% last year.    The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 66% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance.  Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.  

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 18% during the coming year according to the eleven analysts following the company.  Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Flowserve's P/E sits above the majority of other companies.  Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.  

The Key Takeaway

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Flowserve's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E.  At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio.  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 2 warning signs for Flowserve (1 is potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful of.  

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Flowserve, 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.