There's Reason For Concern Over Weihai Huadong Automation Co., Ltd's (SZSE:002248) Massive 34% Price Jump

Those holding Weihai Huadong Automation Co., Ltd (SZSE:002248) shares would be relieved that the share price has rebounded 34% in the last thirty days, but it needs to keep going to repair the recent damage it has caused to investor portfolios. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 20% over that time.

Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in China's Machinery industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.7x, you may consider Weihai Huadong Automation as a stock to avoid entirely with its 8.7x 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 so lofty.

See our latest analysis for Weihai Huadong Automation

What Does Weihai Huadong Automation's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

It looks like revenue growth has deserted Weihai Huadong Automation recently, which is not something to boast about. It might be that many are expecting an improvement to the uninspiring revenue performance over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Weihai Huadong Automation, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Weihai Huadong Automation would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. However, a few strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 37% in total over the last three years. So while the company has done a solid job in the past, it's somewhat concerning to see revenue growth decline as much as it has.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 28% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Weihai Huadong Automation's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. 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.

The Final Word

Weihai Huadong Automation's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. 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.

The fact that Weihai Huadong Automation currently trades on a higher P/S relative to the industry is an oddity, since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. 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 the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these the share price as being reasonable.

Having said that, be aware Weihai Huadong Automation is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning.

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.