The Veracyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:VCYT) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 30%. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 66%.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, Veracyte's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 7.8x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the Biotechs industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 9.9x and even P/S above 61x are quite common. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Veracyte's Recent Performance Look Like?

Veracyte could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. The P/S ratio is probably low because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance isn't going to get any better. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping revenue doesn't get any worse and that you could pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Veracyte?

Veracyte'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.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 24% last year. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 128% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 10% each year during the coming three years according to the eleven analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 118% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Veracyte's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

Despite Veracyte's share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. 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 Veracyte maintains its low P/S on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider industry, as expected. Shareholders' pessimism on the revenue prospects for the company seems to be the main contributor to the depressed P/S. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Veracyte has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.