Envista Holdings Corporation's (NYSE:NVST) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.5x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Medical Equipment industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 3.4x and even P/S above 8x are quite common. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Has Envista Holdings Performed Recently?

Envista Holdings hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the P/S remains low as investors think the prospects of strong revenue growth aren't on the horizon. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Envista Holdings?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Envista Holdings would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing 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 33% 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.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the twelve analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 4.1% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 9.7% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Envista Holdings' P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As expected, our analysis of Envista Holdings' analyst forecasts confirms that the company's underwhelming revenue outlook is a major contributor to its low P/S. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Envista Holdings that you need to take into consideration.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.