The Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 28%. The last month has meant the stock is now only up 2.1% during the last year.

Although its price has dipped substantially, given around half the companies in the United States' IT industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.4x, you may still consider Shopify as a stock to avoid entirely with its 11.2x 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 so lofty.

What Does Shopify's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Shopify could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance will improve markedly. If not, then existing shareholders may be very 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 Shopify .

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For Shopify?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Shopify would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 26% gain to the company's top line. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 93% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 22% per annum as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 11% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

In light of this, it's understandable that Shopify's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From Shopify's P/S?

Even after such a strong price drop, Shopify's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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.

Our look into Shopify shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. It appears that shareholders are confident in the company's future revenues, which is propping up the P/S. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

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

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.