Oracle Corporation's (NYSE:ORCL) Earnings Haven't Escaped The Attention Of Investors

Oracle Corporation's (NYSE:ORCL) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 29x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 13x and even P/E's below 7x are quite common. 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.

Oracle could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Oracle

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

How Is Oracle's Growth Trending?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 55% decrease to the company's bottom line. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 31% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 37% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 9.6% per annum, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Oracle is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

As we suspected, our examination of Oracle's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for Oracle you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit unpleasant.

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

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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