ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE:ADCT) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 26% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. Of course, over the longer-term many would still wish they owned shares as the stock's price has soared 240% in the last twelve months.

Since its price has dipped substantially, ADC Therapeutics' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 3.3x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the wider Biotechs industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 10.6x and even P/S above 65x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/S.

What Does ADC Therapeutics' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

ADC Therapeutics hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. It seems that many are expecting the poor revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the P/S ratio. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think ADC Therapeutics' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For ADC Therapeutics?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as depressed as ADC Therapeutics' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry decidedly.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 42%. The latest three year period has seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, a stark contrast to the last 12 months. Accordingly, shareholders will be pleased, but also have some serious questions to ponder about the last 12 months.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 29% 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 120% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that ADC Therapeutics' P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Final Word

Having almost fallen off a cliff, ADC Therapeutics' share price has pulled its P/S way down as well. 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 ADC Therapeutics maintains its low P/S on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider industry, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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.