RxSight, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:RXST) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 23.5x may look like a poor investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Medical Equipment industry in the United States have P/S ratios below 3.3x. 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.

How RxSight Has Been Performing

Recent times have been advantageous for RxSight as its revenues have been rising faster than most other companies. The P/S is probably high because investors think this strong revenue performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like RxSight's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 76% gain to the company's top line. This great performance means it was also able to deliver immense revenue growth over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 31% per annum during the coming three years according to the eight analysts following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 11% per annum, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why RxSight's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From RxSight's 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.

Our look into RxSight shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in revenues is quite remote, justifying the elevated P/S ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for RxSight that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of RxSight's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.