Gansu Golden Solar Co., Ltd's (SZSE:300093) Popularity With Investors Under Threat As Stock Sinks 26%

Gansu Golden Solar Co., Ltd (SZSE:300093) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 58% share price decline.

Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for thinking Gansu Golden Solar 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 Building industry have P/S ratios below 1.7x. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Gansu Golden Solar

What Does Gansu Golden Solar's Recent Performance Look Like?

Revenue has risen firmly for Gansu Golden Solar recently, which is pleasing to see. Perhaps the market is expecting this decent revenue performance to beat out the industry over the near term, which has kept the P/S propped up. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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 Gansu Golden Solar's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Gansu Golden Solar's Revenue Growth Trending?

Gansu Golden Solar'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 11% last year. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 76% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 19% shows it's about the same on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's curious that Gansu Golden Solar's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends would weigh down the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Gansu Golden Solar's P/S

Even after such a strong price drop, Gansu Golden Solar's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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 Gansu Golden Solar revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't impacting its high P/S as much as we would have predicted, given they look similar to current industry expectations. When we see average revenue with industry-like growth combined with a high P/S, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, bringing the P/S back in line with the industry too. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Gansu Golden Solar (at least 2 which are a bit concerning), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.