Avnet, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVT) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 28% share price jump in the last month. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 22% is also fairly reasonable.

Following the firm bounce in price, Avnet may be sending bearish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 24.6x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 19x and even P/E's lower than 11x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Avnet's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

Is There Enough Growth For Avnet?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 31% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 72% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 99% over the next year. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 16% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Avnet is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

Avnet shares have received a push in the right direction, but its P/E is elevated too. 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 Avnet's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Having said that, be aware Avnet is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those can't be ignored.

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.