Newegg Commerce, Inc. (NASDAQ:NEGG) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 50% after a shaky period beforehand. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 5.8% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, there still wouldn't be many who think Newegg Commerce's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x is worth a mention when the median P/S in the United States' Specialty Retail industry is similar at about 0.4x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

What Does Newegg Commerce's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Newegg Commerce's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think the company might still do enough to be in line with the broader industry in the near future. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

How Is Newegg Commerce's Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Newegg Commerce would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 13%. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 29% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 3.6% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Newegg Commerce's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

What We Can Learn From Newegg Commerce's P/S?

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Newegg Commerce's P/S is back within range of the industry median. 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.

Our look at Newegg Commerce revealed its shrinking revenues over the medium-term haven't impacted the P/S as much as we anticipated, given the industry is set to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

Having said that, be aware Newegg Commerce is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is potentially serious.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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