Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 32% share price jump in the last month. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 84%.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, Westwood Holdings Group may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.5x, since almost half of all companies in the Capital Markets industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 3.3x and even P/S higher than 9x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Has Westwood Holdings Group Performed Recently?

Westwood Holdings Group has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think this respectable revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on Westwood Holdings Group will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

Westwood Holdings Group's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 12% last year. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 32% 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.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 6.7% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Westwood Holdings Group's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Bottom Line On Westwood Holdings Group's P/S

Westwood Holdings Group's stock price has surged recently, but its but its P/S still remains modest. 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.

We're very surprised to see Westwood Holdings Group currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. When we see strong revenue with faster-than-industry growth, we assume there are some significant underlying risks to the company's ability to make money which is applying downwards pressure on the P/S ratio. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to perceive a likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Westwood Holdings Group you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Westwood Holdings Group, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.