Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:000576) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 11x may look like a poor investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Consumer Retailing industry in China have P/S ratios below 1.1x. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

See our latest analysis for Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry

How Has Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry Performed Recently?

The revenue growth achieved at Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. 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.

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

Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 16% last year. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen the company endure a nasty 5.4% drop in revenue in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenues over that time.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 17% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry'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. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

We've established that Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see revenue heading backwards and underperforming the industry forecasts, we feel the possibility of the share price declining is very real, bringing the P/S back into the realm of reasonability. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Guangdong Ganhua Science & Industry with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

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.