Stock Analysis

Not Many Are Piling Into Speee, Inc. (TSE:4499) Stock Yet As It Plummets 39%

TSE:4499
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Speee, Inc. (TSE:4499) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 39% share price drop in the last month. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 61% share price decline.

Although its price has dipped substantially, it's still not a stretch to say that Speee's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the IT industry in Japan, where the median P/S ratio is around 1x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

See our latest analysis for Speee

ps-multiple-vs-industry
TSE:4499 Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry August 6th 2024

How Has Speee Performed Recently?

Speee has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S from rising. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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 Speee's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 20% gain to the company's top line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 37% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 5.1% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we find it interesting that Speee is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

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

Speee's plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of 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.

To our surprise, Speee revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't contributing to its P/S as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current industry expectations. When we see strong revenue with faster-than-industry growth, we can only assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/S ratio. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to see the likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Speee (2 shouldn't be ignored) you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.