To the annoyance of some shareholders, LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) shares are down a considerable 27% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. Looking at the bigger picture, even after this poor month the stock is up 33% in the last year.
Since its price has dipped substantially, LifeMD may be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.2x, since almost half of all companies in the Healthcare Services industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 2x and even P/S higher than 5x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.
NasdaqGM:LFMD Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry August 16th 2024
How LifeMD Has Been Performing
LifeMD certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is low because investors think this strong revenue performance might be less impressive 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 out of 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.
Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?
LifeMD's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 39% gain to the company's top line. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 177% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.
Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 29% as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 9.4%, which is noticeably less attractive.
In light of this, it's peculiar that LifeMD's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.
The Key Takeaway
The southerly movements of LifeMD's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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.
LifeMD's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook isn't contributing to its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. There could be some major risk factors that are placing downward pressure on the P/S ratio. At least price risks look to be very low, but investors seem to think future revenues could see a lot of volatility.
Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for LifeMD (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of.
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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