Blackstone Inc.'s (NYSE:BX) P/E Is On The Mark

It's not a stretch to say that Blackstone Inc.'s (NYSE:BX) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 14.6x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in the United States, where the median P/E ratio is around 14x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

Blackstone hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/E from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Blackstone

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

Does Growth Match The P/E?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Blackstone's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 15%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 216% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the nine analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 9.9% per year over the next three years. With the market predicted to deliver 9.6% growth per annum, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Blackstone is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that Blackstone maintains its moderate P/E off the back of its forecast growth being in line with the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement or deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a high or low P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

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

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Blackstone. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that sit on P/E's below 20x and have grown earnings strongly.

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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