Tianjin Jiuri New Materials Co., Ltd. (SHSE:688199) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 27% share price drop in the last month. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 41% in that time.

Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' P/S ratio of 1.8x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Chemicals industry in China is also close to 2x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

See our latest analysis for Tianjin Jiuri New Materials

How Tianjin Jiuri New Materials Has Been Performing

Tianjin Jiuri New Materials hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the market is expecting its poor revenue performance to improve, keeping the P/S from dropping. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 19% decrease to the company's top line. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 21% in total. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 47% as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 26% growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's curious that Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

What We Can Learn From Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' P/S?

Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of the industry. 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.

Looking at Tianjin Jiuri New Materials' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook isn't giving the boost to its P/S that we would've expected. When we see a strong revenue outlook, with growth outpacing the industry, we can only assume potential uncertainty around these figures are what might be placing slight pressure on the P/S ratio. It appears some are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Tianjin Jiuri New Materials with six simple checks.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.