Subdued Growth No Barrier To Wisesoft Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002253) With Shares Advancing 37%

The Wisesoft Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002253) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 37%. The bad news is that even after the stocks recovery in the last 30 days, shareholders are still underwater by about 6.7% over the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, when almost half of the companies in China's Software industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 5.9x, you may consider Wisesoft as a stock not worth researching with its 16x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Wisesoft

What Does Wisesoft's Recent Performance Look Like?

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Wisesoft over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. 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 Wisesoft's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Wisesoft's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.

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 7.6%. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 55% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 27% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this information, we find it concerning that Wisesoft is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. 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.

What Does Wisesoft's P/S Mean For Investors?

Wisesoft's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. 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.

We've established that Wisesoft 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. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Wisesoft you should know about.

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.