Universal Electronics Inc. (NASDAQ:UEIC) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 26% gain in the last month alone. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 41%.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Universal Electronics' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Consumer Durables industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.7x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

How Has Universal Electronics Performed Recently?

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, Universal Electronics' revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S from falling. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Universal Electronics?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Universal Electronics' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 22%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 34% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 0.8% as estimated by the three analysts watching the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 4.3% growth, the company is positioned for a weaker revenue result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Universal Electronics is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Key Takeaway

Universal Electronics appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in the industry 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.

Given that Universal Electronics' revenue growth projections are relatively subdued in comparison to the wider industry, it comes as a surprise to see it trading at its current P/S ratio. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. A positive change is needed in order to justify the current price-to-sales ratio.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Universal Electronics with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If you're unsure about the strength of Universal Electronics' 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.