Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 19x, you may consider Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 38.6x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

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With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Badger Meter has been doing relatively well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Badger Meter

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Badger Meter.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

Badger Meter's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 16% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 108% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 11% per annum as estimated by the eleven analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 11% growth per annum, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

In light of this, it's curious that Badger Meter's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the share price eventually.

The Final Word

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.

We've established that Badger Meter currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is only in line with the wider market. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Badger Meter with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If you're unsure about the strength of Badger Meter's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.