When close to half the companies in Australia have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 19x, you may consider Macquarie Technology Group Limited (ASX:MAQ) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 69.3x 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 so lofty.

Macquarie Technology Group certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Macquarie Technology Group

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

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 65% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 118% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 2.0% per annum during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 19% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we find it concerning that Macquarie Technology Group is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

What We Can Learn From Macquarie Technology Group's P/E?

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.

Our examination of Macquarie Technology Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Macquarie Technology Group, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Macquarie Technology Group, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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