With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 12.1x American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 18x and even P/E's higher than 33x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

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American Financial Group's earnings growth of late has been pretty similar to most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this modest earnings performance may begin to slide. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for American Financial Group

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

How Is American Financial Group's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as American Financial Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow earnings per share by a handy 5.1% last year. Still, lamentably EPS has fallen 17% in aggregate from three years ago, which is disappointing. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 6.4% each year during the coming three years according to the six analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 11% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

In light of this, it's understandable that American Financial Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Bottom Line On American Financial Group'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.

As we suspected, our examination of American Financial Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with American Financial Group.

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

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