Market Still Lacking Some Conviction On Spir Group ASA (OB:SPIR)

With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.8x Spir Group ASA (OB:SPIR) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Software companies in Norway have P/S ratios greater than 2.9x and even P/S higher than 7x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Spir Group

How Has Spir Group Performed Recently?

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Spir Group as its revenue has been rising very briskly. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/S ratio. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Spir Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Spir Group would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 40%. This great performance means it was also able to deliver immense revenue growth over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a tremendous job of growing revenue over that time.

When compared to the industry's one-year growth forecast of 27%, the most recent medium-term revenue trajectory is noticeably more alluring

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that Spir Group's P/S isn't as high compared to that of its industry peers. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

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 examination of Spir Group revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't boosting its P/S anywhere near 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 assume there are some significant underlying risks to the company's ability to make money which is applying downwards pressure on the P/S ratio. At least price risks look to be very low if recent medium-term revenue trends continue, but investors seem to think future revenue could see a lot of volatility.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Spir Group 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.