When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 18x, you may consider Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) as a highly attractive investment with its 6x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Atlanticus Holdings has been very sluggish. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

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

How Is Atlanticus Holdings' Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Atlanticus Holdings would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.

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 8.4%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 40% in total over the last three years. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 23% each year as estimated by the six analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 10% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it odd that Atlanticus Holdings is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Atlanticus Holdings currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Having said that, be aware Atlanticus Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of Atlanticus 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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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.