Arlo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ARLO) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 31% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. The last month has meant the stock is now only up 4.8% during the last year.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Arlo Technologies' P/S ratio of 2.2x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Electronic industry in the United States is also close to 1.7x. 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 Arlo Technologies Performed Recently?

Arlo Technologies certainly has been doing a good job lately as its revenue growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their revenue go backwards. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think the company's revenue will be less resilient moving forward. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

How Is Arlo Technologies' Revenue Growth Trending?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 9.3% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 27% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 5.7% during the coming year according to the five analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 8.9% growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we find it interesting that Arlo Technologies 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.

What Does Arlo Technologies' P/S Mean For Investors?

Following Arlo Technologies' share price tumble, its P/S is just clinging on to the industry median P/S. 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.

Given that Arlo Technologies' 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. At present, we aren't confident in the P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Arlo Technologies has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.