Cimpress plc's (NASDAQ:CMPR) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Commercial Services industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.3x and even P/S above 4x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

View our latest analysis for Cimpress

What Does Cimpress' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Recent times haven't been great for Cimpress as its revenue has been rising slower than most other companies. Perhaps the market is expecting the current trend of poor revenue growth to continue, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping revenue doesn't get any worse and that you could pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

Cimpress' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 6.9% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 28% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 5.2% per year during the coming three years according to the dual analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 9.6% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this information, we can see why Cimpress is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Cimpress' P/S?

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.

As expected, our analysis of Cimpress' analyst forecasts confirms that the company's underwhelming revenue outlook is a major contributor to its low P/S. Shareholders' pessimism on the revenue prospects for the company seems to be the main contributor to the depressed P/S. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Cimpress (1 is a bit concerning) you should be aware of.

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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