When close to half the companies in the Professional Services industry in the United States have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.4x, you may consider Innodata Inc. (NASDAQ:INOD) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 2.9x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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

For example, consider that Innodata's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as revenue growth is non-existent. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the benign revenue growth will improve to outperform the broader industry in the near future. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

How Is Innodata's Revenue Growth Trending?

Innodata's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's top line as the year before. However, a few strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 39% in total over the last three years. So while the company has done a solid job in the past, it's somewhat concerning to see revenue growth decline as much as it has.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 7.0% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's understandable that Innodata's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong growth to continue and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

It's no surprise that Innodata can support its high P/S given the strong revenue growth its experienced over the last three-year is superior to the current industry outlook. In the eyes of shareholders, the probability of a continued growth trajectory is great enough to prevent the P/S from pulling back. Barring any significant changes to the company's ability to make money, the share price should continue to be propped up.

Plus, you should also learn about these 3 warning signs we've spotted with Innodata (including 1 which shouldn't be ignored).

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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.