Despite an already strong run, Altus Power, Inc. (NYSE:AMPS) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 31% in the last thirty days. While recent buyers may be laughing, long-term holders might not be as pleased since the recent gain only brings the stock back to where it started a year ago.

Following the firm bounce in price, you could be forgiven for thinking Altus Power is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 7.8x, considering almost half the companies in the United States' Renewable Energy industry have P/S ratios below 2x. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Altus Power Has Been Performing

Altus Power certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong revenue performance to persist, which has raised the P/S. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Altus Power's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 54% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 226% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the seven analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 40% over the next year. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 21% growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we can see why Altus Power is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

Shares in Altus Power have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

As we suspected, our examination of Altus Power's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook is contributing to its high P/S. It appears that shareholders are confident in the company's future revenues, which is propping up the P/S. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Altus Power that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.