There's Reason For Concern Over Atsugi Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:3529) Price

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.7x in the Luxury industry in Japan, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Atsugi Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:3529) P/S ratio of 0.9x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

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See our latest analysis for Atsugi

What Does Atsugi's Recent Performance Look Like?

Atsugi has been doing a decent job lately as it's been growing revenue at a reasonable pace. Perhaps the expectation moving forward is that the revenue growth will track in line with the wider industry for the near term, which has kept the P/S subdued. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Atsugi will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Atsugi?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Atsugi would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 3.7% last year. However, due to its less than impressive performance prior to this period, revenue growth is practically non-existent over the last three years overall. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 10% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that Atsugi's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

What Does Atsugi's P/S Mean For Investors?

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.

We've established that Atsugi's average P/S is a bit surprising since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. Right now we are uncomfortable with the P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's hard to accept the current share price as fair value.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Atsugi with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

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.