Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALTO) share price has dived 28% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 35% share price drop.

Since its price has dipped substantially, considering around half the companies operating in the United States' Chemicals industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.4x, you may consider Alto Ingredients as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.1x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Check out our latest analysis for Alto Ingredients

How Has Alto Ingredients Performed Recently?

Alto Ingredients has been struggling lately as its revenue has declined faster than most other companies. Perhaps the market isn't expecting future revenue performance to improve, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If you still like the company, you'd want its revenue trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Alto Ingredients?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Alto Ingredients would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 8.3%. Regardless, revenue has managed to lift by a handy 18% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 0.4% during the coming year according to the dual analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 7.2% growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's understandable that Alto Ingredients' P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

The southerly movements of Alto Ingredients' shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Alto Ingredients' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Having said that, be aware Alto Ingredients is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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.