Veken Technology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600152) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 26% share price jump in the last month. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 18% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, there still wouldn't be many who think Veken Technology's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2x is worth a mention when the median P/S in China's Electrical industry is similar at about 1.9x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

How Has Veken Technology Performed Recently?

For example, consider that Veken Technology's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing revenue performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from falling. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

How Is Veken Technology's Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Veken Technology would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 11% decrease to the company's top line. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 20% overall. 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 24% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Veken Technology's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. 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 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 Veken Technology's P/S?

Veken Technology's stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/S level with the rest of the industry. 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 Veken Technology revealed its shrinking revenues over the medium-term haven't impacted the P/S as much as we anticipated, given the industry is set to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Veken Technology (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.

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.