Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology Inc. (SZSE:002796) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 29% 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 19% in that time.

Since its price has dipped substantially, Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology may be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.9x, considering almost half of all companies in the Machinery industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 2.5x and even P/S higher than 5x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Has Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology Performed Recently?

For instance, Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. 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.

How Is Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology's Revenue Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology's to be considered reasonable.

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 10%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 42% in total over the last three years. 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 28% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's understandable that Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Final Word

The southerly movements of Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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.

It's no surprise that Suzhou Shijia Science & 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. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Suzhou Shijia Science & Technology that we have uncovered.

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).

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