AudioEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEYE) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 42% share price jump in the last month. This latest share price bounce rounds out a remarkable 661% gain over the last twelve months.

Following the firm bounce in price, AudioEye may be sending strong sell signals at present with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 11.3x, when you consider almost half of the companies in the Software industry in the United States have P/S ratios under 5.1x and even P/S lower than 1.8x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

How AudioEye Has Been Performing

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, AudioEye has been relatively sluggish. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to undergo a reversal of fortunes, which has elevated the P/S ratio. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, AudioEye would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 6.9%. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 41% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 22% during the coming year according to the four analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 25%, which is not materially different.

With this information, we find it interesting that AudioEye is trading at a high P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the share price eventually.

The Final Word

Shares in AudioEye have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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.

Given AudioEye's future revenue forecasts are in line with the wider industry, the fact that it trades at an elevated P/S is somewhat surprising. When we see revenue growth that just matches the industry, we don't expect elevates P/S figures to remain inflated for the long-term. Unless the company can jump ahead of the rest of the industry in the short-term, it'll be a challenge to maintain the share price at current levels.

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

If you're unsure about the strength of AudioEye'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.