Ecopro Materials Co., Ltd.'s (KRX:450080) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 10.7x may look like a poor investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Electrical industry in Korea have P/S ratios below 1.6x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
Check out our latest analysis for Ecopro Materials
Ecopro Materials has been struggling lately as its revenue has declined faster than most other companies. Perhaps the market is predicting a change in fortunes for the company and is expecting them to blow past the rest of the industry, elevating the P/S ratio. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.
Keen to find out how analysts think Ecopro Materials' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.In order to justify its P/S ratio, Ecopro Materials would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.
In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 8.7%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 45% in total over the last three years. 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 145% during the coming year according to the lone 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 Ecopro Materials' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
We've established that Ecopro Materials maintains its high P/S on the strength of its forecasted revenue growth being higher than the the rest of the Electrical industry, as expected. It appears that shareholders are confident in the company's future revenues, which is propping up the P/S. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.
Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Ecopro Materials (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that we have uncovered.
If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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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.