There wouldn't be many who think Gates Industrial Corporation plc's (NYSE:GTES) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 18.5x is worth a mention when the median P/E in the United States is similar at about 17x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Gates Industrial has been doing quite well of late. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to deteriorate like the rest, which has kept the P/E from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

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

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

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 20% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 146% 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 eight analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 18% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 10.0% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it interesting that Gates Industrial is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Bottom Line On Gates Industrial's 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.

Our examination of Gates Industrial's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Gates Industrial that you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Gates Industrial, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.