When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 16x, you may consider Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 45.4x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for Netflix as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

How Is Netflix's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Netflix would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 56% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 76% 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.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 23% per year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 10% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Netflix 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.

What We Can Learn From Netflix's P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Netflix 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. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Netflix with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

You might be able to find a better investment than Netflix.

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.