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Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) Not Lagging Market On Growth Or Pricing

When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 14x, you may consider Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 32.9x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Colgate-Palmolive's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Colgate-Palmolive

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Keen to find out how analysts think Colgate-Palmolive's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Colgate-Palmolive's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

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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 27%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 15% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 17% each year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 9.1% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Colgate-Palmolive is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Colgate-Palmolive's P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Colgate-Palmolive 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.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Colgate-Palmolive you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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