Joyware Electronics Co.,Ltd (SZSE:300270) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 25% gain and recovering from prior weakness. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 6.4% in the last twelve months.

Since its price has surged higher, when almost half of the companies in China's Electronic industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 3.6x, you may consider Joyware ElectronicsLtd as a stock not worth researching with its 15.1x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Joyware ElectronicsLtd's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Joyware ElectronicsLtd's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

How Is Joyware ElectronicsLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Joyware ElectronicsLtd would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 62% decrease to the company's top line. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 32% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 26% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's alarming that Joyware ElectronicsLtd's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Final Word

Joyware ElectronicsLtd's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that Joyware ElectronicsLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. With a revenue decline on investors' minds, the likelihood of a souring sentiment is quite high which could send the P/S back in line with what we'd expect. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Joyware ElectronicsLtd 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.