There's No Escaping Chongqing Construction Engineering Group Corporation Limited's (SHSE:600939) Muted Revenues Despite A 44% Share Price Rise

The Chongqing Construction Engineering Group Corporation Limited (SHSE:600939) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 44%. The bad news is that even after the stocks recovery in the last 30 days, shareholders are still underwater by about 5.5% over the last year.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, when close to half the companies operating in China's Construction industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may still consider Chongqing Construction Engineering Group as an enticing stock to check out with its 0.1x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Check out our latest analysis for Chongqing Construction Engineering Group

How Chongqing Construction Engineering Group Has Been Performing

For example, consider that Chongqing Construction Engineering Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. Those who are bullish on Chongqing Construction Engineering Group 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 Chongqing Construction Engineering Group, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Chongqing Construction Engineering Group?

Chongqing Construction Engineering Group's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 6.9% decrease to the company's top line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 34% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 14% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we are not surprised that Chongqing Construction Engineering Group is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Final Word

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Chongqing Construction Engineering Group's P/S close to the industry median. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

Our examination of Chongqing Construction Engineering Group confirms that the company's shrinking revenue over the past medium-term is a key factor in its low price-to-sales ratio, given the industry is projected 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. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Chongqing Construction Engineering Group, and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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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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.