The Xiong'an New Power Technology Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:300152) share price has softened a substantial 26% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. Still, a bad month hasn't completely ruined the past year with the stock gaining 56%, which is great even in a bull market.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, you could still be forgiven for thinking Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 13.9x, considering almost half the companies in China's Machinery industry have P/S ratios below 3x. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this respectable revenue growth will be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 26% last year. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year revenue growth being relatively non-existent overall. Therefore, it's fair to say that revenue growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 22% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we find it concerning that Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

Even after such a strong price drop, Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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.

The fact that Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd currently trades on a higher P/S relative to the industry is an oddity, since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. 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.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Xiong'an New Power TechnologyLtd, 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.