With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.7x in the Consumer Durables industry in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Whirlpool Corporation's (NYSE:WHR) P/S ratio of 0.3x. 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 Whirlpool Performed Recently?

Whirlpool hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this poor revenue performance will turn around. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Whirlpool?

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

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 1.4%. This has erased any of its gains during the last three years, with practically no change in revenue being achieved in total. Therefore, it's fair to say that revenue growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to slump, contracting by 4.1% each year during the coming three years according to the nine analysts following the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 5.4% growth per year, that's a disappointing outcome.

With this information, we find it concerning that Whirlpool is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. 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 Whirlpool's P/S

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.

Our check of Whirlpool's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue isn't bringing down its P/S as much as we would have predicted. When we see a gloomy outlook like this, our immediate thoughts are that the share price is at risk of declining, negatively impacting P/S. If the poor revenue outlook tells us one thing, it's that these current price levels could be unsustainable.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 3 warning signs for Whirlpool (1 is potentially serious!) that we have uncovered.

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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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.