You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2x Shanghai Fortune Techgroup Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300493) is definitely a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Semiconductor companies in China have P/S ratios greater than 5.3x and even P/S above 10x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Shanghai Fortune Techgroup's Recent Performance Look Like?

Shanghai Fortune Techgroup has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think this respectable revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. 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 Shanghai Fortune Techgroup's Revenue Growth Trending?

Shanghai Fortune Techgroup's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling revenue, and importantly, perform much worse than the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 9.9%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 54% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenues over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 35% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

In light of this, it's understandable that Shanghai Fortune Techgroup's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the wider industry.

What Does Shanghai Fortune Techgroup's P/S Mean For Investors?

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.

As we suspected, our examination of Shanghai Fortune Techgroup revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its low P/S, given they look worse than current industry expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price experience a reversal of fortunes anytime soon.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Shanghai Fortune Techgroup you should know about.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.