Acroud AB (publ)'s (STO:ACROUD) 34% Share Price Plunge Could Signal Some Risk

Acroud AB (publ) (STO:ACROUD) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 34% share price drop in the last month. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 67% loss during that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Acroud's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Hospitality industry in Sweden, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.7x. 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.

View our latest analysis for Acroud

How Has Acroud Performed Recently?

Acroud's revenue growth of late has been pretty similar to most other companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to show no drastic signs of changing, justifying the P/S being at current levels. If this is the case, then at least existing shareholders won't be losing sleep over the current share price.

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

How Is Acroud's Revenue Growth Trending?

Acroud'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.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 19% gain to the company's top line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 182% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the one analyst covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 9.4% over the next year. With the industry predicted to deliver 16% growth, the company is positioned for a weaker revenue result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Acroud is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

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

Following Acroud's share price tumble, its P/S is just clinging on to the industry median P/S. 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.

When you consider that Acroud's revenue growth estimates are fairly muted compared to the broader industry, it's easy to see why we consider it unexpected to be trading at its current P/S ratio. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for Acroud that you need to be mindful of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Acroud, 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com