Zhejiang Tiantie Industry Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:300587) 26% Share Price Surge Not Quite Adding Up

Zhejiang Tiantie Industry Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300587) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 26% share price jump in the last month. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 47% over that time.

Following the firm bounce in price, when almost half of the companies in China's Chemicals industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.2x, you may consider Zhejiang Tiantie Industry as a stock probably not worth researching with its 2.9x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Zhejiang Tiantie Industry

How Has Zhejiang Tiantie Industry Performed Recently?

Zhejiang Tiantie Industry has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. 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. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Zhejiang Tiantie Industry's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 21% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 27% overall rise in revenue, aided extensively 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.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 23% 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 Zhejiang Tiantie Industry's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. 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

The large bounce in Zhejiang Tiantie Industry's shares has lifted the company's P/S handsomely. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

Our examination of Zhejiang Tiantie Industry 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. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these the share price as being reasonable.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Zhejiang Tiantie Industry, and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.

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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.