When you see that almost half of the companies in the Interactive Media and Services industry in the United States have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.3x, Rumble Inc. (NASDAQ:RUM) looks to be giving off strong sell signals with its 18.8x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
How Rumble Has Been Performing
Recent times haven't been great for Rumble as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/S ratio from collapsing. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
Keen to find out how analysts think Rumble's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?
In order to justify its P/S ratio, Rumble 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 6.9% last year. While this performance is only fair, the company was still able to deliver immense revenue growth over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 36% per annum as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 12% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.
With this information, we can see why Rumble is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
The Final Word
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 into Rumble shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. It appears that shareholders are confident in the company's future revenues, which is propping up the P/S. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Rumble you should know about.
If you're unsure about the strength of Rumble'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.