Victoria's Secret & Co.'s (NYSE:VSCO) 33% Jump Shows Its Popularity With Investors

Despite an already strong run, Victoria's Secret & Co. (NYSE:VSCO) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 33% in the last thirty days. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 32%.

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 Victoria's Secret as a stock to potentially avoid with its 25.9x 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.

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Recent times haven't been advantageous for Victoria's Secret as its earnings have been rising slower than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this lacklustre earnings performance will improve markedly. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Victoria's Secret

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

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

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 7.8%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 58% overall drop in EPS. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 29% as estimated by the nine analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 16% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Victoria's Secret's 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.

What We Can Learn From Victoria's Secret's P/E?

Victoria's Secret shares have received a push in the right direction, but its P/E is elevated too. 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 Victoria's Secret maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Victoria's Secret that we have uncovered.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.