Revenues Working Against Pharming Group N.V.'s (AMS:PHARM) Share Price

With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 3.4x Pharming Group N.V. (AMS:PHARM) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Biotechs companies in the Netherlands have P/S ratios greater than 10.4x and even P/S higher than 35x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Pharming Group

How Pharming Group Has Been Performing

Recent times haven't been great for Pharming Group as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the uninspiring revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the growth of the P/S ratio. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping revenue doesn't get any worse and that you could pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Pharming Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

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

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 7.3%. However, due to its less than impressive performance prior to this period, revenue growth is practically non-existent over the last three years overall. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 21% per annum as estimated by the four analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 78% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this in consideration, its clear as to why Pharming Group's P/S is falling short industry peers. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

What Does Pharming Group'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.

We've established that Pharming Group maintains its low P/S on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider industry, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Pharming Group that you need to take into consideration.

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.

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.