Improved Revenues Required Before Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) Stock's 26% Jump Looks Justified

Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 26% after a shaky period beforehand. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 12% is also fairly reasonable.

Even after such a large jump in price, Verint Systems may still look like a strong buying opportunity at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.1x, considering almost half of all companies in the Software industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 5.8x and even P/S higher than 13x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

Check out our latest analysis for Verint Systems

What Does Verint Systems' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Recent times haven't been great for Verint Systems as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. Perhaps the market is expecting the current trend of poor revenue growth to continue, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping revenue doesn't get any worse and that you could pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as depressed as Verint Systems' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 4.4% gain to the company's revenues. Revenue has also lifted 6.4% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the seven analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 9.0% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 21% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in consideration, its clear as to why Verint Systems' P/S is falling short industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Final Word

Shares in Verint Systems have risen appreciably however, its P/S is still subdued. While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Verint Systems' 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. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Verint Systems that you should be aware of.

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

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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.