A Piece Of The Puzzle Missing From iRidge, Inc.'s (TSE:3917) 25% Share Price Climb

iRidge, Inc. (TSE:3917) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 25% gain and recovering from prior weakness. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 8.3% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, iRidge may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x, since almost half of all companies in the Software industry in Japan have P/S ratios greater than 1.9x and even P/S higher than 4x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for iRidge

What Does iRidge's Recent Performance Look Like?

The revenue growth achieved at iRidge over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think this respectable revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for iRidge, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 12% gain to the company's revenues. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 35% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 12% shows it's about the same on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's peculiar that iRidge's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain recent growth rates.

What We Can Learn From iRidge's P/S?

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift iRidge's P/S close to the industry median. 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.

Our examination of iRidge revealed its three-year revenue trends looking similar to current industry expectations hasn't given the P/S the boost we expected, given that it's lower than the wider industry P/S, When we see industry-like revenue growth but a lower than expected P/S, we assume potential risks are what might be placing downward pressure on the share price. revenue trends suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to perceive a possibility of revenue volatility in the future.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for iRidge you should be aware of, and 1 of them is concerning.

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.

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

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.