With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.4x MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Semiconductor companies in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 4.4x and even P/S higher than 12x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

How Has MKS Instruments Performed Recently?

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, MKS Instruments 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 this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as MKS Instruments' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 2.7%. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 49% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should bring diminished returns, with revenue decreasing 1.0% as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the broader industry is forecast to expand by 40%, which paints a poor picture.

With this in consideration, we find it intriguing that MKS Instruments' P/S is closely matching its industry peers. However, shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

What We Can Learn From MKS Instruments' P/S?

It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

As we suspected, our examination of MKS Instruments' analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue is contributing to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. 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 MKS Instruments that you need to take into consideration.

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.

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