When close to half the companies in the Consumer Services industry in the United States have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.7x, you may consider SunCar Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ:SDA) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 2.3x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Has SunCar Technology Group Performed Recently?

SunCar Technology Group has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. Perhaps the market is expecting this decent revenue performance to beat out the industry over the near term, which has kept the P/S propped up. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, SunCar Technology Group would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 29% gain to the company's top line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 52% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 14% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is pretty similar based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we find it interesting that SunCar Technology Group is trading at a high P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Nevertheless, they may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

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.

We didn't expect to see SunCar Technology Group trade at such a high P/S considering its last three-year revenue growth has only been on par with the rest of the industry. When we see average revenue with industry-like growth combined with a high P/S, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, bringing the P/S back in line with the industry too. Unless there is a significant improvement in the company's medium-term trends, it will be difficult to prevent the P/S ratio from declining to a more reasonable level.

Having said that, be aware SunCar Technology Group is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com