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Horizon Therapeutics Public Limited Company's (NASDAQ:HZNP) Business Is Trailing The Market But Its Shares Aren't

Horizon Therapeutics Public Limited Company's (NASDAQ:HZNP) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.8x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 18x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for Horizon Therapeutics as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Horizon Therapeutics

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

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the market for P/E ratios like Horizon Therapeutics' to be considered reasonable.

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Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 389% last year. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year EPS growth being relatively non-existent overall. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to slump, contracting by 54% during the coming year according to the nine analysts following the company. That's not great when the rest of the market is expected to grow by 3.2%.

With this information, we find it concerning that Horizon Therapeutics is trading at a P/E higher than the market. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the negative growth outlook.

The Final Word

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 Horizon Therapeutics currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E for a company whose earnings are forecast to decline. When we see a poor outlook with earnings heading backwards, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 4 warning signs for Horizon Therapeutics (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

You might be able to find a better investment than Horizon Therapeutics. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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.

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