There wouldn't be many who think Environment Friendly Holdings Corp.'s (TSE:3777) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x is worth a mention when the median P/S for the Renewable Energy industry in Japan is very similar. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Environment Friendly Holdings. Read for free now.Check out our latest analysis for Environment Friendly Holdings
We'd have to say that with no tangible growth over the last year, Environment Friendly Holdings' revenue has been unimpressive. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to only match most other companies at best over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from rising. Those who are bullish on Environment Friendly Holdings will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Environment Friendly Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.Environment Friendly Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's top line as the year before. The latest three year period has seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, in spite of this mediocre revenue growth of late. Accordingly, shareholders will be pleased, but also have some serious questions to ponder about the last 12 months.
This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 10% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.
With this information, we find it interesting that Environment Friendly Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.
While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.
We didn't quite envision Environment Friendly Holdings' P/S sitting in line with the wider industry, considering the revenue growth over the last three-year is higher than the current industry outlook. There could be some unobserved threats to revenue preventing the P/S ratio from matching this positive performance. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to see the likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.
Having said that, be aware Environment Friendly Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is concerning.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Environment Friendly Holdings, 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.