It's not a stretch to say that Upwork Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UPWK) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.7x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Professional Services industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 1.5x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

What Does Upwork's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Recent times have been advantageous for Upwork as its revenues have been rising faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this strong revenue performance might be about to tail off. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Upwork will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/S?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Upwork would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 14% gain to the company's revenues. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 69% 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.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 7.6% per annum as estimated by the eleven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 7.2% per annum, which is not materially different.

In light of this, it's understandable that Upwork's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

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.

We've seen that Upwork maintains an adequate P/S seeing as its revenue growth figures match the rest of the industry. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenue won't throw up any surprises. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Our free balance sheet analysis for Upwork with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.