W.S. Industries (India) Limited (NSE:WSI) Could Be Riskier Than It Looks

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 2.3x in the Machinery industry in India, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about W.S. Industries (India) Limited's (NSE:WSI) P/S ratio of 2.6x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

Check out our latest analysis for W.S. Industries (India)

How Has W.S. Industries (India) Performed Recently?

W.S. Industries (India) certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing its revenue at a really rapid pace. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to wane, which has kept the share price, and thus the P/S ratio, from rising. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to 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 W.S. Industries (India)'s earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For W.S. Industries (India)?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, W.S. Industries (India) would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company's revenues underwent some rampant growth over the last 12 months. The latest three year period has also seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, aided by its incredible short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 14% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's curious that W.S. Industries (India)'s P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We didn't quite envision W.S. Industries (India)'s P/S sitting in line with the wider industry, considering the revenue growth over the last three-year is higher than the current industry outlook. It'd be fair to assume that potential risks the company faces could be the contributing factor to the lower than expected P/S. It appears some are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for W.S. Industries (India) (3 can't be ignored!) that we have uncovered.

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.