Stock Analysis

Complete Solaria, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSLR) Not Doing Enough For Some Investors As Its Shares Slump 27%

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NasdaqGM:CSLR

Complete Solaria, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSLR) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 27% share price drop in the last month. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 90% loss during that time.

Since its price has dipped substantially, Complete Solaria's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.5x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Electrical industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.8x and even P/S above 4x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

See our latest analysis for Complete Solaria

NasdaqGM:CSLR Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry March 8th 2024

What Does Complete Solaria's Recent Performance Look Like?

Complete Solaria certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Complete Solaria.

How Is Complete Solaria's Revenue Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Complete Solaria's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 45%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 233% 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.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13% per year as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 21% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Complete Solaria's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Complete Solaria's P/S?

The southerly movements of Complete Solaria's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Complete Solaria 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. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Complete Solaria (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.