Atacadão S.A.'s (BVMF:CRFB3) Popularity With Investors Is Under Threat From Overpricing

There wouldn't be many who think Atacadão S.A.'s (BVMF:CRFB3) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x is worth a mention when the median P/S for the Consumer Retailing industry in Brazil is very similar. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Atacadão

What Does Atacadão's Recent Performance Look Like?

With revenue growth that's inferior to most other companies of late, Atacadão has been relatively sluggish. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance will turn around. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Atacadão.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like Atacadão's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. Although pleasingly revenue has lifted 51% 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 7.1% per year as estimated by the twelve analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 13% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's curious that Atacadão's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On Atacadão's P/S

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.

Given that Atacadão's revenue growth projections are relatively subdued in comparison to the wider industry, it comes as a surprise to see it trading at its current P/S ratio. At present, we aren't confident in the P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. A positive change is needed in order to justify the current price-to-sales ratio.

Having said that, be aware Atacadão is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us.

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.