Objective Corporation Limited's (ASX:OCL) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 42.3x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Australia, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 16x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

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Objective certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Objective

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

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 20% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 80% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eight analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 10% per year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 15% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's alarming that Objective's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

What We Can Learn From Objective's 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 Objective's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for Objective with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

You might be able to find a better investment than Objective. 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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