The Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology Service Co.,Ltd (SZSE:300022) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 29%. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 33% share price drop.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Trade Distributors industry in China, seeing as it matches the P/S ratio of the wider industry. 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 Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd Has Been Performing

The revenue growth achieved at Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think this respectable revenue growth might not be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd'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.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 11% gain to the company's revenues. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 18% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 17% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we find it interesting that Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

What We Can Learn From Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd's P/S?

Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd's plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of the industry. 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.

We've established that Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd's average P/S is a bit surprising since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. When we see weak revenue with slower than industry growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, bringing the P/S back in line with expectations. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's hard to accept the current share price as fair value.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Gifore Agricultural Science & Technology ServiceLtd, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.