Stock Analysis

Improved Revenues Required Before Shanghai HIUV New Materials Co.,Ltd (SHSE:688680) Stock's 38% Jump Looks Justified

SHSE:688680
Source: Shutterstock

Those holding Shanghai HIUV New Materials Co.,Ltd (SHSE:688680) shares would be relieved that the share price has rebounded 38% in the last thirty days, but it needs to keep going to repair the recent damage it has caused to investor portfolios. But the last month did very little to improve the 72% share price decline over the last year.

Even after such a large jump in price, Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd may still be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.9x, considering almost half of all companies in the Chemicals industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 1.9x and even P/S higher than 4x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd

ps-multiple-vs-industry
SHSE:688680 Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry March 7th 2024

What Does Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd could be doing better as its revenue has been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive revenue growth. The P/S ratio is probably low because investors think this poor revenue performance isn't going to get any better. So while you could say the stock is cheap, investors will be looking for improvement before they see it as good value.

Keen to find out how analysts think Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 8.2% decrease to the company's top line. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 229% overall rise in revenue, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 18% as estimated by the three analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 25% growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in consideration, its clear as to why Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's P/S is falling short industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

Despite Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Having said that, be aware Shanghai HIUV New MaterialsLtd is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

New: Manage All Your Stock Portfolios in One Place

We've created the ultimate portfolio companion for stock investors, and it's free.

• Connect an unlimited number of Portfolios and see your total in one currency
• Be alerted to new Warning Signs or Risks via email or mobile
• Track the Fair Value of your stocks

Try a Demo Portfolio for Free

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.