Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) Stocks Pounded By 29% But Not Lagging Industry On Growth Or Pricing

The Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) share price has softened a substantial 29% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 44% share price drop.

Although its price has dipped substantially, when almost half of the companies in the United States' IT industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.1x, you may still consider Applied Digital as a stock not worth researching with its 4.6x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

View our latest analysis for Applied Digital

How Applied Digital Has Been Performing

Applied Digital certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. It seems the market expects this form will continue into the future, hence the elevated P/S ratio. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think Applied Digital'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 High P/S?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Applied Digital's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, we see the company's revenues grew exponentially. In spite of this unbelievable short-term growth, the latest three year period hasn't been as great in aggregate as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 46% per annum as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 12% per year, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why Applied Digital's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

Even after such a strong price drop, Applied Digital's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Applied Digital's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook is contributing to its high P/S. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Applied Digital (2 are a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com