When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or “P/E’s”) below 17x, you may consider Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 25.8x 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, Cencora 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.
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How Is Cencora’s Growth Trending?
The only time you’d be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Cencora’s is when the company’s growth is on track to outshine the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 11% gain to the company’s bottom line. Still, EPS has barely risen at all in aggregate from three years ago, which is not ideal. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 13% per annum over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 10% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.
In light of this, it’s understandable that Cencora’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.
The Final Word
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 Cencora’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.
Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we’ve spotted with Cencora.
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 low P/E).
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Find out whether Cencora is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.
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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.
