Subdued Growth No Barrier To Norsk Hydro ASA's (OB:NHY) Price

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.7x in the Metals and Mining industry in Norway, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Norsk Hydro ASA's (OB:NHY) P/S ratio, which comes in at about the same. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

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See our latest analysis for Norsk Hydro

How Has Norsk Hydro Performed Recently?

Recent times haven't been great for Norsk Hydro as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S ratio from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think Norsk Hydro's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Norsk Hydro?

Norsk Hydro's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 10% last year. However, due to its less than impressive performance prior to this period, revenue growth is practically non-existent over the last three years overall. Therefore, it's fair to say that revenue growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to slump, contracting by 1.8% per annum during the coming three years according to the eleven analysts following the company. That's not great when the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 4.2% per annum.

In light of this, it's somewhat alarming that Norsk Hydro's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining revenues are likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our check of Norsk Hydro's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue isn't bringing down its P/S as much as we would have predicted. When we see a gloomy outlook like this, our immediate thoughts are that the share price is at risk of declining, negatively impacting P/S. If the declining revenues were to materialize in the form of a declining share price, shareholders will be feeling the pinch.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Norsk Hydro with six simple checks.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Norsk Hydro, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.