There's Reason For Concern Over Selected Textiles S.A.'s (ATH:EPIL) Massive 33% Price Jump

Selected Textiles S.A. (ATH:EPIL) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 33% 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 15% over that time.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Selected Textiles' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Luxury industry in Greece, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.8x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

See our latest analysis for Selected Textiles

What Does Selected Textiles' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Selected Textiles' financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps investors believe the recent revenue performance is enough to keep in line with the industry, which is keeping the P/S from dropping off. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Selected Textiles, 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 P/S?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Selected Textiles' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 25% decrease to the company's top line. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 12% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 6.8% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Selected Textiles' P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Selected Textiles' P/S

Selected Textiles' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/S level with the rest of the industry. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We find it unexpected that Selected Textiles trades at a P/S ratio that is comparable to the rest of the industry, despite experiencing declining revenues during the medium-term, while the industry as a whole is expected to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Selected Textiles that you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Selected Textiles, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.