Lands' End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 26% after a shaky period beforehand. The last month tops off a massive increase of 140% in the last year.

Although its price has surged higher, there still wouldn't be many who think Lands' End's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x is worth a mention when it essentially matches the median P/S in the United States' Specialty Retail industry. 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 Lands' End's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, Lands' End's revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. Perhaps the market is expecting its poor revenue performance to improve, keeping the P/S from dropping. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

Lands' End's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 5.8%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 10% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to slump, contracting by 1.8% during the coming year according to the three analysts following the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 3.8% growth, that's a disappointing outcome.

With this information, we find it concerning that Lands' End is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining revenues are likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Lands' End's P/S

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

Our check of Lands' End's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue isn't bringing down its P/S as much as we would have predicted. With this in mind, we don't feel the current P/S is justified as declining revenues are unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. If we consider the revenue outlook, the P/S seems to indicate that potential investors may be paying a premium for the stock.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for Lands' End with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

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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