When you see that almost half of the companies in the Healthcare industry in Romania have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.5x, Med Life S.A. (BVB:M) looks to be giving off some sell signals with its 1.2x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.
Check out our latest analysis for Med Life
Recent times have been advantageous for Med Life as its revenues have been rising faster than most other companies. The P/S is probably high because investors think this strong revenue performance will continue. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Med Life will help you uncover what's on the horizon.The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as high as Med Life's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 23%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 90% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 13% per annum over the next three years. With the industry only predicted to deliver 5.4% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.
With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why Med Life's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
We've established that Med Life maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Healthcare industry, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in revenues is quite remote, justifying the elevated P/S ratio. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.
You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Med Life you should be aware of.
If you're unsure about the strength of Med Life's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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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.