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Earnings Not Telling The Story For Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP)

When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 28.6x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

Innospec has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will turn things around completely and accelerate past most others in the market. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Innospec

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

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

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 41%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 30% 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 year should generate growth of 3.8% as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 5.5% growth , the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Innospec is trading at a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Key Takeaway

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.

Our examination of Innospec's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E as much as we would have predicted. 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. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with Innospec.

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

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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