LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 32% gain and recovering from prior weakness. The last 30 days were the cherry on top of the stock's 337% gain in the last year, which is nothing short of spectacular.
Even after such a large jump in price, there still wouldn't be many who think LifeMD's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.2x is worth a mention when the median P/S in the United States' Healthcare Services industry is similar at about 1.8x. 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 LifeMD Has Been Performing
There hasn't been much to differentiate LifeMD's and the industry's revenue growth lately. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to show no drastic signs of changing, justifying the P/S being at current levels. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this can at least be maintained so that you could pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on LifeMD will help you uncover what's on the horizon.
Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For LifeMD?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like LifeMD's to be considered reasonable.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 15% last year. Spectacularly, three year revenue growth has ballooned by several orders of magnitude, even though the last 12 months were fairly tame in comparison. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 31% during the coming year according to the five analysts following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 13%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.
With this information, we find it interesting that LifeMD is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently some shareholders are skeptical of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.
The Key Takeaway
Its shares have lifted substantially and now LifeMD's P/S is back within range of the industry median. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.
We've established that LifeMD currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its forecasted revenue growth is higher than the wider industry. Perhaps uncertainty in the revenue forecasts are what's keeping the P/S ratio consistent with the rest of the industry. However, if you agree with the analysts' forecasts, you may be able to pick up the stock at an attractive price.
You need to take note of risks, for example - LifeMD has 4 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.
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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