Yahoo Finance First Majestic Silver Corp.'s (TSE:FR) Business Is Trailing The Industry But Its Shares Aren't
It's not a stretch to say that First Majestic Silver Corp.'s (TSE:FR) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 3.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Metals and Mining industry in Canada, where the median P/S ratio is around 2.8x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
Check out our latest analysis for First Majestic Silver
How First Majestic Silver Has Been Performing
First Majestic Silver could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to lift, which has kept the P/S from declining. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.
Keen to find out how analysts think First Majestic Silver's 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 P/S?
First Majestic Silver's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 6.9% gain to the company's revenues. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 72% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 3.5% as estimated by the only analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 16% growth forecast for the broader industry.
With this in mind, we find it intriguing that First Majestic Silver's P/S is closely matching its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.
The Key Takeaway
Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.
Our look at the analysts forecasts of First Majestic Silver's revenue prospects has shown that its inferior revenue outlook isn't negatively impacting its P/S as much as we would have predicted. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with First Majestic Silver, and understanding should be part of your investment process.
Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.
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.
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