Epsium Enterprise Limited (NASDAQ:EPSM) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 57% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. To make matters worse, the recent drop has wiped out a year's worth of gains with the share price now back where it started a year ago.

Even after such a large drop in price, given around half the companies in the United States' Retail Distributors industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.8x, you may still consider Epsium Enterprise as a stock to avoid entirely with its 11.5x 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 Epsium Enterprise's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Epsium Enterprise's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability 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 Epsium Enterprise's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Epsium Enterprise's Revenue Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Epsium Enterprise's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 57%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 31% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 2.5% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Epsium Enterprise's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Bottom Line On Epsium Enterprise's P/S

Even after such a strong price drop, Epsium Enterprise's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Epsium Enterprise currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Should recent medium-term revenue trends persist, it would pose a significant risk to existing shareholders' investments and prospective investors will have a hard time accepting the current value of the stock.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Epsium Enterprise, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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.