Newsmax Inc.'s (NYSE:NMAX) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 6x may look like a poor investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Media industry in the United States have P/S ratios below 1x. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
See our latest analysis for Newsmax
Recent revenue growth for Newsmax has been in line with the industry. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to improve, justifying the currently elevated P/S. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Newsmax.In order to justify its P/S ratio, Newsmax would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 14% last year. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 36% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13% per annum as estimated by the two analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 4.7% each year growth forecast for the broader industry.
With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why Newsmax's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.
As we suspected, our examination of Newsmax's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook is contributing to its high P/S. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Newsmax that you need to take into consideration.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Newsmax, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
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.