Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 45% gain in the last month alone. The annual gain comes to 174% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.
After such a large jump in price, you could be forgiven for thinking Axon Enterprise is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 25x, considering almost half the companies in the United States' Aerospace & Defense industry have P/S ratios below 2.6x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
NasdaqGS:AXON Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry November 29th 2024
What Does Axon Enterprise's P/S Mean For Shareholders?
Axon Enterprise certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. The P/S is probably high because investors think this strong revenue performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
Keen to find out how analysts think Axon Enterprise's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.
Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For Axon Enterprise?
Axon Enterprise's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 32% gain to the company's top line. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 123% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 25% during the coming year according to the analysts following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 14%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.
In light of this, it's understandable that Axon Enterprise's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
The Key Takeaway
The strong share price surge has lead to Axon Enterprise's P/S soaring as well. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
We've established that Axon Enterprise maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Aerospace & Defense industry, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.
You always need to take note of risks, for example - Axon Enterprise has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
If you're unsure about the strength of Axon Enterprise's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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