The Price Is Right For China Anchu Energy Storage Group Limited (HKG:2399)

When close to half the companies in the Luxury industry in Hong Kong have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.7x, you may consider China Anchu Energy Storage Group Limited (HKG:2399) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 1.3x 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.

View our latest analysis for China Anchu Energy Storage Group

How China Anchu Energy Storage Group Has Been Performing

For instance, China Anchu Energy Storage Group's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the company will still do 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.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for China Anchu Energy Storage Group, 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, China Anchu Energy Storage Group would need to produce impressive growth 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 14%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 97% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would definitely welcome the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 12% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this in consideration, it's not hard to understand why China Anchu Energy Storage Group's P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the wider industry.

The Bottom Line On China Anchu Energy Storage Group's P/S

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.

It's no surprise that China Anchu Energy Storage Group can support its high P/S given the strong revenue growth its experienced over the last three-year is superior to the current industry outlook. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident revenue aren't under threat. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for China Anchu Energy Storage Group (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you need to be mindful of.

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.