When close to half the companies in the Construction industry in Japan have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.5x, you may consider Fantasista Co., Ltd. (TSE:1783) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 1.1x 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.
View our latest analysis for Fantasista
What Does Fantasista's P/S Mean For Shareholders?
For instance, Fantasista's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Fantasista, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Fantasista's Revenue Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as high as Fantasista's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry.
Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 12%. Even so, admirably revenue has lifted 52% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.
Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 2.5% shows it's noticeably more attractive.
With this information, we can see why Fantasista is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the wider industry.
What Does Fantasista's P/S Mean For Investors?
Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
We've established that Fantasista maintains its high P/S on the strength of its recent three-year growth being higher than the wider industry forecast, as expected. In the eyes of shareholders, the probability of a continued growth trajectory is great enough to prevent the P/S from pulling back. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Fantasista you should be aware of.
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.
About TSE:1783
Adequate balance sheet slight.