Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002912) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 26% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 47% over that time.
Since its price has surged higher, when almost half of the companies in China's Tech industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.5x, you may consider Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology as a stock not worth researching with its 6.2x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.
View our latest analysis for Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology
While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology's revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this poor revenue performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology will help you uncover what's on the horizon.The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 15% decrease to the company's top line. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 47% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.
Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 69% during the coming year according to the sole analyst following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 18% growth forecast for the broader industry.
In light of this, it's understandable that Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
Shares in Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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 Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior revenue outlook is contributing to its high P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in revenues is quite remote, justifying the elevated P/S ratio. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.
And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology you should know about.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology, 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.