Fujian Tendering Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:301136) 36% Price Boost Is Out Of Tune With Revenues

The Fujian Tendering Co., Ltd. (SZSE:301136) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 36%. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 18% over that time.

Following the firm bounce in price, you could be forgiven for thinking Fujian Tendering is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 4.6x, considering almost half the companies in China's Construction industry have P/S ratios below 1.1x. 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.

View our latest analysis for Fujian Tendering

What Does Fujian Tendering's Recent Performance Look Like?

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Fujian Tendering over the last year, which is not ideal at all. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Fujian Tendering will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 11% decrease to the company's top line. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 11% in total. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 15% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Fujian Tendering'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 Key Takeaway

Fujian Tendering's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

The fact that Fujian Tendering 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 Fujian Tendering is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those are 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.