Merit Medical Systems, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:MMSI) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 48.3x 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 17x 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.

Recent times have been pleasing for Merit Medical Systems as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Is There Enough Growth For Merit Medical Systems?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 29% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 298% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eleven analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 18% per year over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 10% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

In light of this, it's understandable that Merit Medical Systems' 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.

The Bottom Line On Merit Medical Systems' P/E

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 Merit Medical Systems maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Our free balance sheet analysis for Merit Medical Systems with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Merit Medical Systems. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.