Mahamaya Steel Industries Limited (NSE:MAHASTEEL) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 25% gain in the last month alone. The last 30 days were the cherry on top of the stock's 370% gain in the last year, which is nothing short of spectacular.
After such a large jump in price, when almost half of the companies in India's Metals and Mining industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.1x, you may consider Mahamaya Steel Industries as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.8x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.
See our latest analysis for Mahamaya Steel Industries
The revenue growth achieved at Mahamaya Steel Industries over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting this decent revenue performance to beat out the industry over the near term, which has kept the P/S propped up. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Mahamaya Steel Industries will help you shine a light on its historical performance.There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Mahamaya Steel Industries' to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 12% gain to the company's revenues. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 41% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.
Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 19% shows it's noticeably less attractive.
With this in mind, we find it worrying that Mahamaya Steel Industries' P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. 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.
Mahamaya Steel Industries' P/S is on the rise since its shares have risen strongly. 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.
Our examination of Mahamaya Steel Industries revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't detracting from the P/S as much as we though, given they look worse than current industry expectations. When we see slower than industry revenue growth but an elevated P/S, there's considerable risk of the share price declining, sending the P/S lower. 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.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for Mahamaya Steel Industries that you need to be mindful of.
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.