It's not a stretch to say that Super Group (SGHC) Limited's (NYSE:SGHC) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Hospitality industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 1.5x. 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 Super Group (SGHC) Has Been Performing

Recent times haven't been great for Super Group (SGHC) as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S ratio from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Super Group (SGHC)'s is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 11%. The latest three year period has also seen a 28% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 6.9% per year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 12% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

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

The Final Word

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

When you consider that Super Group (SGHC)'s revenue growth estimates are fairly muted compared to the broader industry, it's easy to see why we consider it unexpected to be trading at its current P/S ratio. At present, we aren't confident in the P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Circumstances like this present a risk to current and prospective investors who may see share prices fall if the low revenue growth impacts the sentiment.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Super Group (SGHC) 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.