Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Hunan Jingfeng Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:000908) share price has dived 27% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 54% share price decline.

Since its price has dipped substantially, Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd may be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.8x, considering almost half of all companies in the Pharmaceuticals industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 3.2x and even P/S higher than 6x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

How Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd Has Been Performing

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd over the last year, which is not ideal at all. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?

Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 30%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 16% 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 18% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this in mind, we understand why Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd's P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. 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 Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd's P/S Mean For Investors?

Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd's P/S has taken a dip along with its share price. While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

It's no surprise that Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd 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.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Hunan Jingfeng PharmaceuticalLtd, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.