Dongguan Huali Industries Co.,Ltd (SHSE:603038) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 26% after a shaky period beforehand. Looking further back, the 16% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

After such a large jump in price, when almost half of the companies in China's Consumer Durables industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.6x, you may consider Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd as a stock probably not worth researching with its 2.8x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.

How Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd Has Been Performing

Revenue has risen firmly for Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this respectable revenue growth will be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 9.1%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 29% overall drop in revenue. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 9.9% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this information, we find it concerning that Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd's P/S?

The large bounce in Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd's shares has lifted the company's P/S handsomely. 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've established that Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. With a revenue decline on investors' minds, the likelihood of a souring sentiment is quite high which could send the P/S back in line with what we'd expect. Unless the the circumstances surrounding the recent medium-term improve, it wouldn't be wrong to expect a a difficult period ahead for the company's shareholders.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Dongguan Huali IndustriesLtd you should be aware of, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us.

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.