iPower Inc. (NASDAQ:IPW) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 35% share price drop in the last month. Looking at the bigger picture, even after this poor month the stock is up 75% in the last year.

Following the heavy fall in price, when close to half the companies operating in the United States' Trade Distributors industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may consider iPower as an enticing stock to check out with its 0.4x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

What Does iPower's Recent Performance Look Like?

For example, consider that iPower's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For iPower?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as iPower's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 12%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 39% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would definitely welcome the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 5.0% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that iPower's P/S isn't as high compared to that of its industry peers. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

iPower's recently weak share price has pulled its P/S back below other Trade Distributors companies. 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.

Our examination of iPower revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't boosting its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current industry expectations. Potential investors that are sceptical over continued revenue performance may be preventing the P/S ratio from matching previous strong performance. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with iPower (including 2 which are concerning).

If you're unsure about the strength of iPower'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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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.