Booking Holdings Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BKNG) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 31.7x 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 19x and even P/E's below 11x 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.

Recent earnings growth for Booking Holdings has been in line with the market. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this modest earnings performance will accelerate. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for Booking Holdings

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

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

Booking Holdings' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 3.5% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 1,534% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 22% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 11% per annum, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

In light of this, it's understandable that Booking Holdings' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Booking Holdings' 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.

We've established that Booking Holdings maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. 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 1 warning sign for Booking Holdings you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Booking Holdings' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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