Revenues Not Telling The Story For JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings Ltd. (SZSE:002530) After Shares Rise 26%

JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings Ltd. (SZSE:002530) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 26% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. The bad news is that even after the stocks recovery in the last 30 days, shareholders are still underwater by about 4.2% over the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, you could be forgiven for thinking JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 5x, considering almost half the companies in China's Machinery industry have P/S ratios below 2.5x. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

See our latest analysis for JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings

How Has JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings Performed Recently?

The recent revenue growth at JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings would have to be considered satisfactory if not spectacular. It might be that many expect the reasonable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on 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, JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 3.1% gain to the company's revenues. The latest three year period has also seen a 21% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 23% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we find it concerning that JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

What We Can Learn From JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings' P/S?

JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings' P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our examination of JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings 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. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for JC Finance & Tax Interconnect Holdings with six simple checks.

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.