YLZ Information Technology Co.,Ltd (SZSE:300096) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 27% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 38% in the last twelve months.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, YLZ Information TechnologyLtd's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.5x might still make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the wider Software industry in China, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 5.2x and even P/S above 9x are quite common. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

How Has YLZ Information TechnologyLtd Performed Recently?

For instance, YLZ Information TechnologyLtd's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. 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 YLZ Information TechnologyLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 2.3% decrease to the company's top line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 32% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 33% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's understandable that YLZ Information TechnologyLtd'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.

What Does YLZ Information TechnologyLtd's P/S Mean For Investors?

YLZ Information TechnologyLtd'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.

As we suspected, our examination of YLZ Information TechnologyLtd revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set to grow. 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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for YLZ Information TechnologyLtd that you should be aware of.

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.