The Market Lifts Nandan Denim Limited (NSE:NDL) Shares 35% But It Can Do More

Despite an already strong run, Nandan Denim Limited (NSE:NDL) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 35% in the last thirty days. The annual gain comes to 169% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

Although its price has surged higher, Nandan Denim may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x, since almost half of all companies in the Luxury industry in India have P/S ratios greater than 0.9x and even P/S higher than 3x are not unusual. 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 Nandan Denim

How Nandan Denim Has Been Performing

It looks like revenue growth has deserted Nandan Denim recently, which is not something to boast about. Perhaps the market believes the recent lacklustre revenue performance is a sign of future underperformance relative to industry peers, hurting the P/S. Those who are bullish on Nandan Denim will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Nandan Denim, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Nandan Denim would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. However, a few strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 84% in total over the last three years. So while the company has done a solid job in the past, it's somewhat concerning to see revenue growth decline as much as it has.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 12% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that Nandan Denim's P/S isn't as high compared to that of its industry peers. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On Nandan Denim's P/S

Nandan Denim's stock price has surged recently, but its but its P/S still remains modest. 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.

Our examination of Nandan Denim revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't boosting its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current industry expectations. When we see robust revenue growth that outpaces the industry, we presume that there are notable underlying risks to the company's future performance, which is exerting downward pressure on the P/S ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Nandan Denim (at least 2 which are potentially serious), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com