The Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 29%. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 38% share price drop.
Although its price has dipped substantially, given around half the companies in the United States' Auto industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.4x, you may still consider Lucid Group as a stock to avoid entirely with its 9.3x P/S ratio. 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 Lucid Group
Lucid Group hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the market is expecting the poor revenue to reverse, justifying it's current high P/S.. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Lucid Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.Lucid Group's 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.
Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 11%. In spite of this, the company still managed to deliver immense revenue growth over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company, but investors will want to ask why it is now in decline.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 89% per annum during the coming three years according to the ten analysts following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 16% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.
With this information, we can see why Lucid Group 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.
Lucid Group's shares may have suffered, but its P/S remains high. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
We've established that Lucid Group maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Auto industry, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.
You always need to take note of risks, for example - Lucid Group has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
If you're unsure about the strength of Lucid Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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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.