With Central Asia Metals plc (LON:CAML) It Looks Like You'll Get What You Pay For

When close to half the companies in the Metals and Mining industry in the United Kingdom have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.2x, you may consider Central Asia Metals plc (LON:CAML) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 2x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Central Asia Metals

How Has Central Asia Metals Performed Recently?

Central Asia Metals has been struggling lately as its revenue has declined faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the dismal revenue performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Central Asia Metals.

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

Central Asia Metals' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than 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 15%. 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 28% in total. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the six analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 2.3% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to only expand by 0.02% per year, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Central Asia Metals is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

Our look into Central Asia Metals shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenues aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Central Asia Metals that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.