With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE:DOUG) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Real Estate companies in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 1.9x and even P/S higher than 11x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.
Our free stock report includes 1 warning sign investors should be aware of before investing in Douglas Elliman. Read for free now.Check out our latest analysis for Douglas Elliman
How Douglas Elliman Has Been Performing
The revenue growth achieved at Douglas Elliman over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/S. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Douglas Elliman's earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Douglas Elliman's Revenue Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Douglas Elliman's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 11% last year. Still, lamentably revenue has fallen 25% in aggregate from three years ago, which is disappointing. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 16% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.
In light of this, it's understandable that Douglas Elliman's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.
What Does Douglas Elliman's P/S Mean For Investors?
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.
It's no surprise that Douglas Elliman maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.
Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Douglas Elliman that we have uncovered.
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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