Elastic N.V.'s (NYSE:ESTC) Share Price Matching Investor Opinion
Elastic N.V.'s (NYSE:ESTC) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 6.1x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the Software industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios below 4.1x and even P/S below 1.9x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.
Check out our latest analysis for Elastic
What Does Elastic's Recent Performance Look Like?
Elastic certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. The P/S is probably high because investors think this strong revenue performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Elastic.
Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as high as Elastic's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 28%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 167% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 21% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 13% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.
With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why Elastic's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
What We Can Learn From Elastic's P/S?
Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
We've established that Elastic maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Software industry, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for Elastic that you need to be mindful of.
If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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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.
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