System1, Inc.'s (NYSE:SST) 26% Dip In Price Shows Sentiment Is Matching Revenues

System1, Inc. (NYSE:SST) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 26% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 47% share price drop.

Since its price has dipped substantially, System1 may be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x, since almost half of all companies in the Interactive Media and Services industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 1.3x and even P/S higher than 4x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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View our latest analysis for System1

What Does System1's Recent Performance Look Like?

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, System1's revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It seems that many are expecting the poor revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the P/S ratio. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think System1's 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 Low P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like System1's to be considered reasonable.

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 13%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 57% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the only analyst covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 1.1% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 15%, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that System1's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From System1's P/S?

System1's recently weak share price has pulled its P/S back below other Interactive Media and Services companies. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of System1's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. 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.

You need to take note of risks, for example - System1 has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of System1's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.