The Nerdy, Inc. (NYSE:NRDY) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 26%. Still, the 30-day jump doesn't change the fact that longer term shareholders have seen their stock decimated by the 51% share price drop in the last twelve months.

Even after such a large jump in price, considering around half the companies operating in the United States' Consumer Services industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.3x, you may still consider Nerdy as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.7x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Nerdy's Recent Performance Look Like?

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, Nerdy has been relatively sluggish. The P/S ratio is probably low because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance isn't going to get any better. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping revenue doesn't get any worse and that you could pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Nerdy?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Nerdy's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 9.6%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 50% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eight analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 6.5% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 21% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we can see why Nerdy is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Nerdy's P/S close to 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Nerdy's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. Shareholders' pessimism on the revenue prospects for the company seems to be the main contributor to the depressed P/S. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Having said that, be aware Nerdy is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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.