MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 27% and undoing the prior period's positive performance.    The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 40% in that time.  

Although its price has dipped substantially, given around half the companies in the United States' Metals and Mining industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.3x, you may still consider MP Materials as a stock to avoid entirely with its 10.7x P/S ratio.   However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.  

NYSE:MP Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry June 19th 2024

How MP Materials Has Been Performing

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, MP Materials' revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great.   Perhaps the market is expecting the poor revenue to reverse, justifying it's current high P/S..  You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.    

Keen to find out how analysts think MP Materials' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?  

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

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 55%.   Regardless, revenue has managed to lift by a handy 19% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth.  So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.  

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 58%  per annum as estimated by the ten analysts watching the company.  That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 34% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's understandable that MP Materials' P/S sits above the majority of other companies.  It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.  

What We Can Learn From MP Materials' P/S?

Even after such a strong price drop, MP Materials' P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly.      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.

Our look into MP Materials 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.  Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for MP Materials (1 is potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful of.  

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com