Voltabox AG's (FRA:VBX) Popularity With Investors Under Threat As Stock Sinks 26%

Voltabox AG (FRA:VBX) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 63% share price decline.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, when almost half of the companies in Germany's Electrical industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1x, you may still consider Voltabox as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.7x 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 as high as it is.

View our latest analysis for Voltabox

How Has Voltabox Performed Recently?

With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Voltabox has been doing very well. The P/S ratio is probably high because investors think this strong revenue growth will be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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 Voltabox's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Voltabox's Revenue Growth Trending?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 63% last year. Still, revenue has fallen 42% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 12% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's alarming that Voltabox's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Key Takeaway

Despite the recent share price weakness, Voltabox's P/S remains higher than most other companies in the industry. While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

We've established that Voltabox currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Voltabox (at least 2 which are a bit concerning), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

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.

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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.

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