When you see that almost half of the companies in the Healthcare Services industry in the United States have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.9x, GoodRx Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDRX) looks to be giving off some sell signals with its 3.7x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does GoodRx Holdings' Recent Performance Look Like?

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, GoodRx Holdings has been relatively sluggish. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/S ratio from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/S?

GoodRx Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 4.0%. Revenue has also lifted 23% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 10% per year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 11% per annum, which is not materially different.

In light of this, it's curious that GoodRx Holdings' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

What Does GoodRx Holdings' P/S Mean For Investors?

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.

Given GoodRx Holdings' future revenue forecasts are in line with the wider industry, the fact that it trades at an elevated P/S is somewhat surprising. Right now we are uncomfortable with the relatively high share price as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the company can jump ahead of the rest of the industry in the short-term, it'll be a challenge to maintain the share price at current levels.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for GoodRx Holdings 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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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.