Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group Limited (HKG:563) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 33% after a shaky period beforehand. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 29%.

Even after such a large jump in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Real Estate industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.7x. 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 Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group Performed Recently?

Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing its revenue at a really rapid pace. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to wane, which has kept the share price, and thus the P/S ratio, from rising. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's Revenue Growth Trending?

Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group'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.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 52%. As a result, it also grew revenue by 18% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Weighing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 4.9% shows it's about the same on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's understandable that Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders are comfortable to simply hold on assuming the company will continue keeping a low profile.

The Final Word

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's P/S is back within range of the industry median. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

It appears to us that Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group maintains its moderate P/S off the back of its recent three-year growth being in line with the wider industry forecast. With previous revenue trends that keep up with the current industry outlook, it's hard to justify the company's P/S ratio deviating much from it's current point. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group (of which 2 are concerning!) you should know about.

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.

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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.