Vishwaraj Sugar Industries Limited's (NSE:VISHWARAJ) Shares Lagging The Industry But So Is The Business

With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x Vishwaraj Sugar Industries Limited (NSE:VISHWARAJ) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all the Food companies in India have P/S ratios greater than 1x and even P/S higher than 3x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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Check out our latest analysis for Vishwaraj Sugar Industries

How Has Vishwaraj Sugar Industries Performed Recently?

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Vishwaraj Sugar Industries over the last year, which is not ideal at all. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader industry in the near future. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Vishwaraj Sugar Industries?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Vishwaraj Sugar Industries' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 4.6%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 17% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 11% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this in mind, we understand why Vishwaraj Sugar Industries' P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Key Takeaway

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.

Our examination of Vishwaraj Sugar Industries confirms that the company's shrinking revenue over the past medium-term is a key factor in its low price-to-sales ratio, given the industry is projected to grow. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for Vishwaraj Sugar Industries (3 are a bit unpleasant!) 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.