With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 2.4x Shenzhen Mason Technologies Co.,Ltd (SZSE:002654) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Electronic companies in China have P/S ratios greater than 4x and even P/S higher than 8x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

What Does Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming 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 Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 6.6%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 2.8% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

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.

With this in mind, we understand why Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd'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. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Key Takeaway

Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

It's no surprise that Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. 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 moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Shenzhen Mason TechnologiesLtd that we have uncovered.

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.