Yahoo Finance NovoCure Limited's (NASDAQ:NVCR) Business Is Trailing The Industry But Its Shares Aren't
With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 13.6x NovoCure Limited (NASDAQ:NVCR) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Medical Equipment companies in the United States have P/S ratios under 3.5x and even P/S lower than 1.4x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
Check out our latest analysis for NovoCure
How Has NovoCure Performed Recently?
NovoCure hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this poor revenue performance will turn the corner. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on NovoCure will help you uncover what's on the horizon.
How Is NovoCure's Revenue Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/S ratio, NovoCure would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.
Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 2.9%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 38% overall rise in revenue, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 7.3% per year as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 9.9% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.
With this information, we find it concerning that NovoCure is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.
What Does NovoCure's P/S Mean For Investors?
It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
We've concluded that NovoCure currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its forecast growth is lower than the wider industry. When we see a weak revenue outlook, we suspect the share price faces a much greater risk of declining, bringing back down the P/S figures. At these price levels, investors should remain cautious, particularly if things don't improve.
It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with NovoCure, and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
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.
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