OverActive Media Corp.'s (CVE:OAM) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.4x may not look like an appealing investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Entertainment industry in Canada have P/S ratios below 0.7x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.
Check out our latest analysis for OverActive Media
What Does OverActive Media's P/S Mean For Shareholders?
Revenue has risen firmly for OverActive Media recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on OverActive Media's earnings, revenue and cash flow.Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as high as OverActive Media's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 30% gain to the company's top line. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 103% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.
Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 11% shows it's noticeably more attractive.
With this in consideration, it's not hard to understand why OverActive Media's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the wider industry.
The Final Word
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.
As we suspected, our examination of OverActive Media revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its high P/S, given they look better than current industry expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential continued revenue growth in the future is great enough to warrant an inflated P/S. Barring any significant changes to the company's ability to make money, the share price should continue to be propped up.
Having said that, be aware OverActive Media is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those don't sit too well with us.
If you're unsure about the strength of OverActive Media'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.
About TSXV:OAM
OverActive Media
Operates as a media, sports, and entertainment company in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Slight with mediocre balance sheet.