Jiangsu NanFang Precision Co.,Ltd.'s (SZSE:002553) Share Price Could Signal Some Risk

When close to half the companies in the Machinery industry in China have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.6x, you may consider Jiangsu NanFang Precision Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002553) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 5.7x P/S ratio. 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 Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd

How Has Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd Performed Recently?

Revenue has risen firmly for Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this respectable revenue growth will be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. 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 Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd?

Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 10% last year. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 52% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 27% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we find it concerning that Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd 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. 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 Bottom Line On Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd's P/S

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 Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd 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 observe slower-than-industry revenue growth alongside a high P/S ratio, we assume there to be a significant risk of the share price decreasing, which would result in a lower P/S ratio. Unless there is a significant improvement in the company's medium-term performance, it will be difficult to prevent the P/S ratio from declining to a more reasonable level.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Jiangsu NanFang PrecisionLtd, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.