With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.9x Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMRX) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Pharmaceuticals companies in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 3.1x and even P/S higher than 14x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/S.

How Has Amneal Pharmaceuticals Performed Recently?

Amneal Pharmaceuticals could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. The P/S ratio is probably low because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance isn't going to get any better. 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.

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

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

Amneal Pharmaceuticals' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling revenue, and importantly, perform much worse than the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 12%. The latest three year period has also seen a 30% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 5.9% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 24% per year growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's understandable that Amneal Pharmaceuticals' 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.

What We Can Learn From Amneal Pharmaceuticals' P/S?

It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

As we suspected, our examination of Amneal Pharmaceuticals' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Amneal Pharmaceuticals (at least 1 which is concerning), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

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.