Yahoo Finance Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) Looks Just Right
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 18.3x Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 13x and even P/E's lower than 7x 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.
Recent times have been advantageous for Amgen as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Amgen
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Amgen will help you uncover what's on the horizon.
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Amgen would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 20% gain to the company's bottom line. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year EPS frustratingly shrank by 3.1% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13% per annum as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 9.6% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.
In light of this, it's understandable that Amgen's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
What We Can Learn From Amgen's P/E?
Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
We've established that Amgen maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. 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.
Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Amgen that you should be aware of.
You might be able to find a better investment than Amgen. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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.
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