With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 30.7x Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:KW) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 22x and even P/E's lower than 12x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.
While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Kennedy-Wilson Holdings' earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Kennedy-Wilson Holdings will help you uncover what's on the horizon.
How Is Kennedy-Wilson Holdings' Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Kennedy-Wilson Holdings would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 58%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 20% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 119% over the next year. With the market predicted to deliver 20% growth , that's a disappointing outcome.
With this information, we find it concerning that Kennedy-Wilson Holdings is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining earnings are likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.
What We Can Learn From Kennedy-Wilson Holdings' 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 Kennedy-Wilson Holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings are highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Kennedy-Wilson Holdings (2 are significant) you should be aware of.
It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20x).
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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