Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6516
    -0.0002 (-0.04%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    107,712.52
    -741.77 (-0.68%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • AUD/EUR

    0.6037
    +0.0003 (+0.05%)
     
  • AUD/NZD

    1.0896
    -0.0007 (-0.06%)
     
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     

FINEOS Corporation Holdings plc's (ASX:FCL) 51% Price Boost Is Out Of Tune With Revenues

FINEOS Corporation Holdings plc (ASX:FCL) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 51% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 29% over that time.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, there still wouldn't be many who think FINEOS Corporation Holdings' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.7x is worth a mention when the median P/S in Australia's Software industry is similar at about 2.8x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

View our latest analysis for FINEOS Corporation Holdings

ps-multiple-vs-industry
ps-multiple-vs-industry

How FINEOS Corporation Holdings Has Been Performing

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, FINEOS Corporation Holdings has been relatively sluggish. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S ratio from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

ADVERTISEMENT

Keen to find out how analysts think FINEOS Corporation Holdings' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For FINEOS Corporation Holdings?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, FINEOS Corporation Holdings would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's top line as the year before. Although pleasingly revenue has lifted 67% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been great for the company, but investors will want to ask why it has slowed to such an extent.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 9.8% per annum as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 20% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we find it interesting that FINEOS Corporation Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

What We Can Learn From FINEOS Corporation Holdings' P/S?

Its shares have lifted substantially and now FINEOS Corporation Holdings' P/S is back within range of the industry median. 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.

When you consider that FINEOS Corporation Holdings' 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. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. 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.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for FINEOS Corporation Holdings with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.

Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here