Dolby Laboratories, Inc.'s (NYSE:DLB) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 28.9x 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 19x and even P/E's below 11x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Dolby Laboratories has been doing relatively well. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for Dolby Laboratories

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

Is There Enough Growth For Dolby Laboratories?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 31% last year. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 11% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 7.4% per annum as estimated by the three analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 11% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it concerning that Dolby Laboratories is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the 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.

Our examination of Dolby Laboratories' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

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

You might be able to find a better investment than Dolby Laboratories. 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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