Viper Energy, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:VNOM) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 13x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E's above 34x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

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With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Viper Energy has been doing relatively well. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Viper Energy

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

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Viper Energy's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 42% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 175% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the six analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 18% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 10% per annum, which paints a poor picture.

With this information, we are not surprised that Viper Energy is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.

The Final Word

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 Viper Energy maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Viper Energy (of which 2 don't sit too well with us!) you should know about.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.