Shanghai Sunglow Packaging Technology Co.,Ltd (SHSE:603499) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 25% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 73%.

After such a large jump in price, when almost half of the companies in China's Packaging industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.6x, you may consider Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd as a stock not worth researching with its 4.7x 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.

How Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd Has Been Performing

Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd has been doing a decent job lately as it's been growing revenue at a reasonable pace. It might be that many expect the reasonable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 3.9% last year. Revenue has also lifted 28% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 19% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's alarming that Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd's P/S

Shares in Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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.

Our examination of Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't detracting from the P/S as much as we though, given they look worse than current industry expectations. When we observe slower-than-industry revenue growth alongside a high P/S ratio, we assume there to be a significant risk of the share price decreasing, which would result in a lower P/S ratio. Unless there is a significant improvement in the company's medium-term performance, it will be difficult to prevent the P/S ratio from declining to a more reasonable level.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Shanghai Sunglow Packaging TechnologyLtd (at least 1 which is significant), 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com