The Celsius Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CELH) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 29%. Looking at the bigger picture, even after this poor month the stock is up 29% in the last year.

Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for thinking Celsius Holdings is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 10.2x, considering almost half the companies in the United States' Beverage industry have P/S ratios below 2.6x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

How Celsius Holdings Has Been Performing

Celsius Holdings certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong revenue performance to persist, which has raised the P/S. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Celsius Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 81% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, aided by its incredible short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 28% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 5.3% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why Celsius Holdings' 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.

What We Can Learn From Celsius Holdings' P/S?

Even after such a strong price drop, Celsius Holdings' P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Celsius Holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook is contributing to its high P/S. 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.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Celsius Holdings, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.