Soilbuild Construction Group Ltd. (SGX:S7P) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 178% after a shaky period beforehand. The last month tops off a massive increase of 154% in the last year.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Soilbuild Construction Group's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.5x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Construction industry in Singapore, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.4x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

How Soilbuild Construction Group Has Been Performing

For example, consider that Soilbuild Construction Group's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as revenue growth is non-existent. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think this benign revenue growth rate might not be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on Soilbuild Construction Group will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

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

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Soilbuild Construction Group's is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 66% overall rise in revenue, in spite of its uninspiring short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders will be pleased, but also have some questions to ponder about the last 12 months.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 13% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we find it interesting that Soilbuild Construction Group is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance is at its limits and have been accepting lower selling prices.

The Key Takeaway

Soilbuild Construction Group's stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/S level with the rest of the industry. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Soilbuild Construction Group currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. There could be some unobserved threats to revenue preventing the P/S ratio from matching this positive performance. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to see the likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Soilbuild Construction Group (at least 2 which are a bit unpleasant), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.

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