The Honest Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:HNST) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 26% gain and recovering from prior weakness. The last month tops off a massive increase of 161% in the last year.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Honest Company's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Personal Products industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 1.1x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

How Honest Company Has Been Performing

Recent revenue growth for Honest Company has been in line with the industry. It seems that many are expecting the mediocre revenue performance to persist, which has held the P/S ratio back. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this can at least be maintained so that you could pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Honest Company's is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 6.4% gain to the company's revenues. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 14% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 5.7% per annum during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be similar to the 5.1% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's understandable that Honest Company's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Honest Company's P/S

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Honest Company's P/S is back within range of the industry median. Using the price-to-sales 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.

Our look at Honest Company's revenue growth estimates show that its P/S is about what we expect, as both metrics follow closely with the industry averages. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenue won't throw up any surprises. If all things remain constant, the possibility of a drastic share price movement remains fairly remote.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Honest Company that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, 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.