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It's A Story Of Risk Vs Reward With Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 19x in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:VRTS) P/E ratio of 20.2x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

For instance, Virtus Investment Partners' receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think the company might still do enough to be in line with the broader market in the near future. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Check out our latest analysis for Virtus Investment Partners

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Although there are no analyst estimates available for Virtus Investment Partners, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Virtus Investment Partners' Growth Trending?

Virtus Investment Partners' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with 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 30%. This has soured the latest three-year period, which nevertheless managed to deliver a decent 30% overall rise in EPS. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing earnings over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Comparing that to the market, which is only predicted to deliver 5.4% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

In light of this, it's curious that Virtus Investment Partners' P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On Virtus Investment Partners' P/E

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.

Our examination of Virtus Investment Partners revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current market expectations. When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/E ratio. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Virtus Investment Partners (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable) you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Virtus Investment Partners, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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