DocuSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:DOCU) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 27% share price jump in the last month. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 71% in the last year.

Even after such a large jump in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about DocuSign's P/S ratio of 4.9x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Software industry in the United States is also close to 4.8x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

How Has DocuSign Performed Recently?

Recent times haven't been great for DocuSign as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance will turn around. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For DocuSign?

DocuSign's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 7.7% gain to the company's revenues. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 59% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenues over that time.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 6.5% each year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 19% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we find it interesting that DocuSign is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On DocuSign's P/S

Its shares have lifted substantially and now DocuSign's P/S is back within range of the industry median. 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.

Our look at the analysts forecasts of DocuSign's revenue prospects has shown that its inferior revenue outlook isn't negatively impacting its P/S as much as we would have predicted. At present, we aren't confident in the P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. A positive change is needed in order to justify the current price-to-sales ratio.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with DocuSign.

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.