Stock Analysis

Revenues Not Telling The Story For Thryv Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:THRY)

NasdaqCM:THRY
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It's not a stretch to say that Thryv Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:THRY) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.9x seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for Media companies in the United States, seeing as it matches the P/S ratio of the wider industry. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Thryv Holdings

ps-multiple-vs-industry
NasdaqCM:THRY Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry April 24th 2024

What Does Thryv Holdings' Recent Performance Look Like?

Thryv Holdings 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. It might be that many expect the dour revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

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

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Thryv Holdings would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 24% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 17% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should bring diminished returns, with revenue decreasing 10% as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. That's not great when the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 3.8%.

With this in consideration, we think it doesn't make sense that Thryv Holdings' P/S is closely matching its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the negative growth outlook.

The Key Takeaway

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.

It appears that Thryv Holdings currently trades on a higher than expected P/S for a company whose revenues are forecast to decline. When we see a gloomy outlook like this, our immediate thoughts are that the share price is at risk of declining, negatively impacting P/S. If the declining revenues were to materialize in the form of a declining share price, shareholders will be feeling the pinch.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Thryv Holdings that you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Thryv Holdings, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

Valuation is complex, but we're helping make it simple.

Find out whether Thryv Holdings is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.

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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.