You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 8.1x CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CCCS) is a stock to avoid completely, seeing as almost half of all the Software companies in the United States have P/S ratios under 4.5x and even P/S lower than 1.8x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

Check out our latest analysis for CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings

How CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Has Been Performing

Recent times haven't been great for CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance will improve markedly. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

How Is CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 10.0% gain to the company's revenues. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 33% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 8.7% as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 15% growth, the company is positioned for a weaker revenue result.

In light of this, it's alarming that CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Final Word

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.

Despite analysts forecasting some poorer-than-industry revenue growth figures for CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings, this doesn't appear to be impacting the P/S in the slightest. When we see a weak revenue outlook, we suspect the share price faces a much greater risk of declining, bringing back down the P/S figures. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.