To the annoyance of some shareholders, Allot Ltd. (NASDAQ:ALLT) shares are down a considerable 27% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 65% loss during that time.

Since its price has dipped substantially, Allot may be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x, since almost half of all companies in the Software industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 4.2x and even P/S higher than 10x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Allot

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

Allot 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. Perhaps the P/S remains low as investors think the prospects of strong revenue growth aren't on the horizon. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Allot would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 28% decrease to the company's top line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 13% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest revenue growth is heading into negative territory, declining 3.9% over the next year. With the industry predicted to deliver 15% growth, that's a disappointing outcome.

With this information, we are not surprised that Allot is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. However, shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

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

Having almost fallen off a cliff, Allot's share price has pulled its P/S way down as well. 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.

It's clear to see that Allot maintains its low P/S on the weakness of its forecast for sliding revenue, 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. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

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

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.

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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.