Weiye Construction Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300621) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 38% share price jump in the last month. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 2.9% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, Weiye Construction Group may still look like a strong buying opportunity at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x, considering almost half of all companies in the Professional Services industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 3.2x and even P/S higher than 9x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

How Weiye Construction Group Has Been Performing

For instance, Weiye Construction Group's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. 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.

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

Weiye Construction Group'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.

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 9.7%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 101% overall rise in revenue, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 31% 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 Weiye Construction Group'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.

The Key Takeaway

Weiye Construction Group's recent share price jump still sees fails to bring its P/S alongside the industry median. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Weiye Construction Group 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.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with Weiye Construction Group.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Weiye Construction Group, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.