Caesars Entertainment, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CZR) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Hospitality industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.7x and even P/S above 4x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

See our latest analysis for Caesars Entertainment

What Does Caesars Entertainment's Recent Performance Look Like?

Caesars Entertainment 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. It seems that many are expecting the poor revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the P/S ratio. So while you could say the stock is cheap, investors will be looking for improvement before they see it as good value.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Caesars Entertainment.

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

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 2.2% decrease to the company's top line. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 32% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would definitely welcome the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 2.9% per annum over the next three years. With the industry predicted to deliver 13% growth each year, the company is positioned for a weaker revenue result.

In light of this, it's understandable that Caesars Entertainment's 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 Final Word

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Caesars Entertainment's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. Shareholders' pessimism on the revenue prospects for the company seems to be the main contributor to the depressed P/S. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for Caesars Entertainment with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

If you're unsure about the strength of Caesars Entertainment's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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