Papa John's International, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PZZA) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 24.5x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 18x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Papa John's International 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. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Papa John's International will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

How Is Papa John's International's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Papa John's International's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. The longer-term trend has been no better as the company has no earnings growth to show for over the last three years either. So it seems apparent to us that the company has struggled to grow earnings meaningfully over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 28% each 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 Papa John's International's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From Papa John's International'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.

We've established that Papa John's International 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. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Papa John's International has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.