Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002907) Popularity With Investors Is Under Threat From Overpricing

Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002907) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 8x may look like a poor investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Pharmaceuticals industry in China have P/S ratios below 3.5x. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

View our latest analysis for Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical

How Has Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical Performed Recently?

For instance, Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. Perhaps the market believes the company can do enough to outperform the rest of the industry in the near future, which is keeping the P/S ratio high. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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

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

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 4.9%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 22% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 142% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's alarming that Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate 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

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.

We've established that Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see revenue heading backwards and underperforming the industry forecasts, we feel the possibility of the share price declining is very real, bringing the P/S back into the realm of reasonability. Unless the the circumstances surrounding the recent medium-term improve, it wouldn't be wrong to expect a a difficult period ahead for the company's shareholders.

It is also worth noting that we have found 3 warning signs for Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical (1 is significant!) that you need to take into consideration.

If you're unsure about the strength of Chongqing Pharscin Pharmaceutical's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.