With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.2x Precision System Science Co., Ltd. (TSE:7707) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Life Sciences companies in Japan have P/S ratios greater than 2.4x and even P/S higher than 15x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.
View our latest analysis for Precision System Science
Precision System Science has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/S. Those who are bullish on Precision System Science will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Precision System Science's earnings, revenue and cash flow.The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Precision System Science's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 24%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen the company endure a nasty 30% drop in revenue in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 15% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.
In light of this, it's understandable that Precision System Science's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.
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.
As we suspected, our examination of Precision System Science revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set to grow. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.
Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Precision System Science (including 1 which is a bit concerning).
If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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