It's not a stretch to say that PagerDuty, Inc.'s (NYSE:PD) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 5.3x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Software industry in the United States, where the median P/S ratio is around 4.6x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
See our latest analysis for PagerDuty
How PagerDuty Has Been Performing
With revenue growth that's superior to most other companies of late, PagerDuty has been doing relatively well. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S ratio from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.
Keen to find out how analysts think PagerDuty's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For PagerDuty?
In order to justify its P/S ratio, PagerDuty would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 21%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 110% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 17% per annum during the coming three years according to the eleven analysts following the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 17% growth per annum, the company is positioned for a comparable revenue result.
With this in mind, it makes sense that PagerDuty's P/S is closely matching its industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.
The Final Word
Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
We've seen that PagerDuty maintains an adequate P/S seeing as its revenue growth figures match the rest of the industry. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement or deterioration in revenue isn't great enough to push P/S in a higher or lower direction. All things considered, if the P/S and revenue estimates contain no major shocks, then it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for PagerDuty that you should be aware of.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on PagerDuty, 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.
About NYSE:PD
PagerDuty
Engages in the operation of a digital operations management platform in the United States and internationally.
Excellent balance sheet and fair value.