Manitex International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTX) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 26% after a shaky period beforehand. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 12% is also fairly reasonable.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it would still be understandable if you think Manitex International is a stock with good investment prospects with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 0.4x, considering almost half the companies in the United States' Machinery industry have P/S ratios above 1.3x. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Manitex International

How Manitex International Has Been Performing

Manitex International's revenue growth of late has been pretty similar to most other companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

Manitex International's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 17%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 66% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 5.0% each year as estimated by the two analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 9.5% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we can see why Manitex International is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What Does Manitex International's P/S Mean For Investors?

Despite Manitex International's share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

As we suspected, our examination of Manitex International's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. Shareholders' pessimism on the revenue prospects for the company seems to be the main contributor to the depressed P/S. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Manitex International (at least 1 which is concerning), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you're unsure about the strength of Manitex International'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.