When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 19x, you may consider Dycom Industries, Inc. (NYSE:DY) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 23.4x 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.

Recent earnings growth for Dycom Industries has been in line with the market. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this modest earnings performance will accelerate. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Dycom Industries.

Is There Enough Growth For Dycom Industries?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow earnings per share by a handy 2.8% last year. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see EPS up by 441% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 18% per year as estimated by the eight analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 11% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Dycom Industries 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 Bottom Line On Dycom Industries' P/E

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Dycom Industries maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. 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 might be able to find a better investment than Dycom Industries.

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.