Brill Shoe Industries Ltd.'s (TLV:BRIL) Price Is Right But Growth Is Lacking After Shares Rocket 25%

Brill Shoe Industries Ltd. (TLV:BRIL) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 25% after a shaky period beforehand. But the last month did very little to improve the 51% share price decline over the last year.

Even after such a large jump in price, Brill Shoe Industries may still be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x, considering almost half of all companies in the Luxury industry in Israel have P/S ratios greater than 0.9x and even P/S higher than 3x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Brill Shoe Industries

How Has Brill Shoe Industries Performed Recently?

For instance, Brill Shoe Industries' receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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 Brill Shoe Industries' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Brill Shoe Industries?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Brill Shoe Industries' to be considered reasonable.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 7.7%. Regardless, revenue has managed to lift by a handy 17% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. 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.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 13% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Brill Shoe Industries' P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Brill Shoe Industries' P/S

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Brill Shoe Industries' P/S close to the industry median. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of Brill Shoe Industries revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its low P/S, given they look worse than current industry expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Brill Shoe Industries has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are concerning) we think you should know about.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.