The Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 34%. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 34% in the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 19x, you may consider Dell Technologies as a stock to potentially avoid with its 22.8x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Dell Technologies has been doing relatively well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

Is There Enough Growth For Dell Technologies?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 18% gain to the company's bottom line. However, the latest three year period hasn't been as great in aggregate as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 21% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 11% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Dell Technologies' 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 Final Word

Dell Technologies' P/E is getting right up there since its shares have risen strongly. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Dell Technologies' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Dell Technologies has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.

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.