Controladora Axtel S.A.B. de C.V.'s (BMV:CTAXTELA) Business And Shares Still Trailing The Industry

When close to half the companies operating in the Telecom industry in Mexico have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.2x, you may consider Controladora Axtel S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:CTAXTELA) as an attractive investment with its 0.4x 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 limited.

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See our latest analysis for Controladora Axtel. de

What Does Controladora Axtel. de's Recent Performance Look Like?

Revenue has risen firmly for Controladora Axtel. de recently, which is pleasing to see. Perhaps the market is expecting this acceptable revenue performance to take a dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. 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 Controladora Axtel. de, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Controladora Axtel. de's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 12% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 18% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 14% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

With this in consideration, it's easy to understand why Controladora Axtel. de's P/S falls short of the mark set by its industry peers. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the wider industry.

The Final Word

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 Controladora Axtel. de revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its low P/S, given they look worse than current industry expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Controladora Axtel. de (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you need to be mindful of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Controladora Axtel. de'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.