Centum Electronics Limited's (NSE:CENTUM) Share Price Not Quite Adding Up

When close to half the companies in the Electronic industry in India have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.4x, you may consider Centum Electronics Limited (NSE:CENTUM) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 3.4x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

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Check out our latest analysis for Centum Electronics

How Centum Electronics Has Been Performing

Centum Electronics could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is high because investors think this lacklustre revenue performance will improve markedly. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Centum Electronics will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

How Is Centum Electronics' Revenue Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Centum Electronics' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 8.6% gain to the company's revenues. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 45% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenues over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 21% as estimated by the sole analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 34% growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in consideration, we believe it doesn't make sense that Centum Electronics' P/S is outpacing its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Key Takeaway

It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

It comes as a surprise to see Centum Electronics trade at such a high P/S given the revenue forecasts look less than stellar. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. At these price levels, investors should remain cautious, particularly if things don't improve.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Centum Electronics that you need to be mindful of.

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.