When close to half the companies operating in the Commercial Services industry in Australia have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.7x, you may consider Downer EDI Limited (ASX:DOW) as an attractive investment with its 0.4x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

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View our latest analysis for Downer EDI

What Does Downer EDI's Recent Performance Look Like?

Downer EDI could be doing better as its revenue has been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive revenue growth. It seems that many are expecting the poor revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the P/S ratio. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially 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 Downer EDI.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Downer EDI?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Downer EDI would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 7.4% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 4.7% in total over the last three years. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 4.7% per year during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 5.0% per annum, which is not materially different.

With this in consideration, we find it intriguing that Downer EDI's P/S is lagging behind its industry peers. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

What We Can Learn From Downer EDI's P/S?

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

We've seen that Downer EDI currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its forecast growth is in line with the wider industry. The low P/S could be an indication that the revenue growth estimates are being questioned by the market. Perhaps investors are concerned that the company could underperform against the forecasts over the near term.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Downer EDI that we have uncovered.

If you're unsure about the strength of Downer EDI's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.