Jumia Technologies AG (NYSE:JMIA) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 60% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. Still, a bad month hasn't completely ruined the past year with the stock gaining 77%, which is great even in a bull market.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, given around half the companies in the United States' Multiline Retail industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.9x, you may still consider Jumia Technologies as a stock to avoid entirely with its 3.5x P/S ratio. 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 Jumia Technologies Has Been Performing

Jumia Technologies could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. 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.

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

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

If we review the last year of revenue, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. Fortunately, a few good years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by 11% in total over the last three years. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 18% as estimated by the two analysts watching the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 14%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

With this information, we can see why Jumia Technologies is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

Jumia Technologies' shares may have suffered, but its P/S remains high. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Jumia Technologies maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Multiline Retail industry, as expected. 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.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 3 warning signs for Jumia Technologies (1 is significant!) that we have uncovered.

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.