Sunsea AIoT Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002313) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 33% gain in the last month alone. The annual gain comes to 103% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, Sunsea AIoT Technology may still look like a strong buying opportunity at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.5x, considering almost half of all companies in the Communications industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 5.2x and even P/S higher than 9x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/S.

See our latest analysis for Sunsea AIoT Technology

How Sunsea AIoT Technology Has Been Performing

For example, consider that Sunsea AIoT Technology's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader industry in the near future. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as depressed as Sunsea AIoT Technology's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry decidedly.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 26%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 28% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 44% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's understandable that Sunsea AIoT Technology's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Key Takeaway

Sunsea AIoT Technology's recent share price jump still sees fails to bring its P/S alongside the industry median. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

It's no surprise that Sunsea AIoT Technology maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Sunsea AIoT Technology that we have uncovered.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Sunsea AIoT Technology, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.