Hangzhou Freely Communication Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:603602) P/S Is Still On The Mark Following 35% Share Price Bounce

Hangzhou Freely Communication Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603602) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 35% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Looking further back, the 12% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

Following the firm bounce in price, you could be forgiven for thinking Hangzhou Freely Communication is a stock not worth researching with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 1.9x, considering almost half the companies in China's Construction industry have P/S ratios below 1.1x. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Check out our latest analysis for Hangzhou Freely Communication

What Does Hangzhou Freely Communication's Recent Performance Look Like?

With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Hangzhou Freely Communication has been doing very well. The P/S ratio is probably high because investors think this strong revenue growth will be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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 Hangzhou Freely Communication's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/S?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Hangzhou Freely Communication would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 54% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 85% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

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

In light of this, it's understandable that Hangzhou Freely Communication's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong growth to continue and are willing to pay more for the stock.

What Does Hangzhou Freely Communication's P/S Mean For Investors?

The large bounce in Hangzhou Freely Communication's shares has lifted the company's P/S handsomely. 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 Hangzhou Freely Communication revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its high P/S, given they look better than current industry expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential continued revenue growth in the future is great enough to warrant an inflated P/S. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Hangzhou Freely Communication that you need to be mindful of.

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.