Guangzhou Lushan New Materials Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603051) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 65% loss during that time.

Following the heavy fall in price, Guangzhou Lushan New Materials may be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.8x, considering almost half of all companies in the Chemicals industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 2.1x and even P/S higher than 5x aren't out of the ordinary. 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 Guangzhou Lushan New Materials

How Has Guangzhou Lushan New Materials Performed Recently?

The revenue growth achieved at Guangzhou Lushan New Materials over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting this acceptable revenue performance to take a dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Guangzhou Lushan New Materials' Revenue Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Guangzhou Lushan New Materials' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 18% gain to the company's top line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 188% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

When compared to the industry's one-year growth forecast of 27%, the most recent medium-term revenue trajectory is noticeably more alluring

With this information, we find it odd that Guangzhou Lushan New Materials is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Guangzhou Lushan New Materials' P/S?

The southerly movements of Guangzhou Lushan New Materials' shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We're very surprised to see Guangzhou Lushan New Materials currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. Potential investors that are sceptical over continued revenue performance may be preventing the P/S ratio from matching previous strong performance. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for Guangzhou Lushan New Materials you should be aware of, and 3 of them are potentially serious.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.