nCino, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:NCNO) Popularity With Investors Is Clear

You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 6.6x nCino, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCNO) is a stock to avoid completely, seeing as almost half of all the Software companies in the United States have P/S ratios under 4.3x and even P/S lower than 2x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

See our latest analysis for nCino

How Has nCino Performed Recently?

With revenue growth that's superior to most other companies of late, nCino has been doing relatively well. It seems that many are expecting the strong revenue performance to persist, which has raised the P/S. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on nCino will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For nCino?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 40% gain to the company's top line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 179% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 16% as estimated by the twelve analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 13%, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why nCino is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

Our look into nCino shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in revenues is quite remote, justifying the elevated P/S ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for nCino you should be aware of.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.