Despite an already strong run, Foshan Yowant Technology Co.,Ltd (SZSE:002291) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 28% in the last thirty days. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 34% over that time.
Even after such a large jump in price, Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd may still be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.1x, since almost half of all companies in the Media industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 3.3x and even P/S higher than 7x 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 so limited.
How Has Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd Performed Recently?
With revenue growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd has been doing relatively well. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If the company manages to stay the course, then investors should be rewarded with a share price that matches its revenue figures.
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd.How Is Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as depressed as Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry decidedly.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 24% gain to the company's top line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 121% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the lone analyst covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 22% over the next year. With the industry only predicted to deliver 15%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.
In light of this, it's peculiar that Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.
The Final Word
Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd's recent share price jump still sees fails to bring its P/S alongside the industry median. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
To us, it seems Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd currently trades on a significantly depressed P/S given its forecasted revenue growth is higher than the rest of its industry. The reason for this depressed P/S could potentially be found in the risks the market is pricing in. It appears the market could be anticipating revenue instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.
A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Foshan Yowant TechnologyLtd with six simple checks.
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.