It's not a stretch to say that Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SKWD) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 17.7x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in the United States, where the median P/E ratio is around 17x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

Skyward Specialty Insurance Group certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think the company's earnings will be less resilient moving forward. 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.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Skyward Specialty Insurance Group.

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

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Skyward Specialty Insurance Group would need to produce growth that's similar to the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 89% last year. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year EPS growth being relatively non-existent overall. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 12% per annum during the coming three years according to the six analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 10% per year, which is not materially different.

With this information, we can see why Skyward Specialty Insurance Group 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 Bottom Line On Skyward Specialty Insurance Group'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.

As we suspected, our examination of Skyward Specialty Insurance Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook is contributing to its current P/E. 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. It's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Skyward Specialty Insurance Group that you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Skyward Specialty Insurance Group. 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.