Stock Analysis

Market Participants Recognise CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CRWD) Revenues Pushing Shares 27% Higher

Published
NasdaqGS:CRWD

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 27% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 72% in the last year.

After such a large jump in price, CrowdStrike Holdings may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 19.3x, since almost half of all companies in the Software industry in the United States have P/S ratios under 4.6x and even P/S lower than 1.7x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

View our latest analysis for CrowdStrike Holdings

NasdaqGS:CRWD Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry September 1st 2024

What Does CrowdStrike Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Recent times have been advantageous for CrowdStrike Holdings as its revenues have been rising faster than most other companies. The P/S is probably high because investors think this strong revenue performance will continue. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

CrowdStrike Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 33% gain to the company's top line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 209% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 23% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 19% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that CrowdStrike Holdings' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Bottom Line On CrowdStrike Holdings' P/S

The strong share price surge has lead to CrowdStrike Holdings' P/S soaring as well. 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.

We've established that CrowdStrike Holdings maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Software industry, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for CrowdStrike Holdings that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.