Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Zevia PBC (NYSE:ZVIA) share price has dived 26% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain.    The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 62% loss during that time.  

After such a large drop in price, Zevia PBC may be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x, since almost half of all companies in the Beverage industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 2.6x and even P/S higher than 6x are not unusual.   However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.  

NYSE:ZVIA Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry March 15th 2024

How Has Zevia PBC Performed Recently?

Zevia PBC could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately.   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.    

Keen to find out how analysts think Zevia PBC's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?  

Zevia PBC's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling revenue, and importantly, perform much worse than the industry.  

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year.   Although pleasingly revenue has lifted 51% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months.  Accordingly, shareholders will be pleased, but also have some questions to ponder about the last 12 months.  

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 8.4%  each year as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company.  Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 5.9% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Zevia PBC's P/S sits below the majority of other companies.  It looks like most investors are not convinced at all that the company can achieve future growth expectations.  

What Does Zevia PBC's P/S Mean For Investors?

Zevia PBC's P/S looks about as weak as its stock price lately.      Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Zevia PBC's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook isn't contributing to its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted.  There could be some major risk factors that are placing downward pressure on the P/S ratio.  At least price risks look to be very low, but investors seem to think future revenues could see a lot of volatility.    

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted   4 warning signs for Zevia PBC  you should be aware of.  

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.