United Airlines Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UAL) Earnings Haven't Escaped The Attention Of Investors

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.4x in the Airlines industry in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about United Airlines Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UAL) P/S ratio of 0.2x. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for United Airlines Holdings

How United Airlines Holdings Has Been Performing

With revenue growth that's superior to most other companies of late, United Airlines Holdings 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.

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

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For United Airlines Holdings?

United Airlines Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 29% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 130% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 4.7% each year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be similar to the 4.5% each year growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in mind, it makes sense that United Airlines Holdings' 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.

What Does United Airlines Holdings' P/S Mean For Investors?

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 seen that United Airlines Holdings maintains an adequate P/S seeing as its revenue growth figures match the rest of the industry. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenue won't throw up any surprises. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for United Airlines Holdings that we have uncovered.

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.