The Market Doesn't Like What It Sees From Anglo American plc's (LON:AAL) Revenues Yet

You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.1x Anglo American plc (LON:AAL) is a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Metals and Mining companies in the United Kingdom have P/S ratios greater than 1.7x and even P/S higher than 7x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

See our latest analysis for Anglo American

How Has Anglo American Performed Recently?

Recent times haven't been great for Anglo American as its revenue has been falling quicker than most other companies. Perhaps the market isn't expecting future revenue performance to improve, which has kept the P/S suppressed. So while you could say the stock is cheap, investors will be looking for improvement before they see it as good value. Or at the very least, you'd be hoping the revenue slide doesn't get any worse if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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

How Is Anglo American's Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Anglo American would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 13%. This has soured the latest three-year period, which nevertheless managed to deliver a decent 20% overall rise in revenue. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 0.1% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 240% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Anglo American's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What Does Anglo American's P/S Mean For Investors?

Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Anglo American's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Anglo American you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

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.