The J. M. Smucker Company's (NYSE:SJM) P/S Is On The Mark

It's not a stretch to say that The J. M. Smucker Company's (NYSE:SJM) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.4x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Food industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 1x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

View our latest analysis for J. M. Smucker

What Does J. M. Smucker's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

J. M. Smucker hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the market is expecting its poor revenue performance to improve, keeping the P/S from dropping. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

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

J. M. Smucker'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, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 1.4%. This has erased any of its gains during the last three years, with practically no change in revenue being achieved in total. Therefore, it's fair to say that revenue growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 4.7% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be similar to the 3.1% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in mind, it makes sense that J. M. Smucker's P/S is closely matching its industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

What Does J. M. Smucker's P/S Mean For Investors?

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our look at J. M. Smucker's revenue growth estimates show that its P/S is about what we expect, as both metrics follow closely with the industry averages. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenue won't throw up any surprises. If all things remain constant, the possibility of a drastic share price movement remains fairly remote.

Having said that, be aware J. M. Smucker is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is potentially serious.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on J. M. Smucker, 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.