There wouldn't be many who think ProPetro Holding Corp.'s (NYSE:PUMP) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.8x is worth a mention when the median P/S for the Energy Services industry in the United States is similar at about 1.1x. 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 ProPetro Holding
ProPetro Holding could be doing better as its revenue has been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive revenue growth. Perhaps the market is expecting its poor revenue performance to improve, keeping the P/S from dropping. If not, then existing shareholders may 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 ProPetro Holding will help you uncover what's on the horizon.ProPetro Holding's 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.
In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 12%. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 10% in total. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the six analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 5.8% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 4.4% each year, which is not materially different.
With this information, we can see why ProPetro Holding is trading at a fairly similar P/S to the industry. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.
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.
A ProPetro Holding's P/S seems about right to us given the knowledge that analysts are forecasting a revenue outlook that is similar to the Energy Services 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.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for ProPetro Holding that you should be aware of.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on ProPetro Holding, 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.