Stock Analysis

IMAC Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BACK) Business And Shares Still Trailing The Industry

NasdaqCM:BACK
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When you see that almost half of the companies in the Healthcare industry in the United States have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.2x, IMAC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BACK) looks to be giving off some buy signals with its 0.3x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Check out our latest analysis for IMAC Holdings

ps-multiple-vs-industry
NasdaqCM:BACK Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry April 18th 2023

How IMAC Holdings Has Been Performing

IMAC Holdings' revenue growth of late has been pretty similar to most other companies. It might be that many expect the mediocre revenue performance to degrade, which has repressed the P/S ratio. Those who are bullish on IMAC Holdings will be hoping that this isn't the case.

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

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like IMAC Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 13%. The latest three year period has also seen a 7.0% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should bring diminished returns, with revenue decreasing 30% as estimated by the one analyst watching the company. That's not great when the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 8.4%.

With this information, we are not surprised that IMAC Holdings is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. However, shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Final Word

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.

With revenue forecasts that are inferior to the rest of the industry, it's no surprise that IMAC Holdings' P/S is on the lower end of the spectrum. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for IMAC Holdings (3 don't sit too well with us) 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.