There's No Escaping Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:6707) Muted Revenues

Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:6707) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.7x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Semiconductor industry in Japan, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.7x and even P/S above 4x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

See our latest analysis for Sanken Electric

How Sanken Electric Has Been Performing

Sanken Electric could be doing better as its revenue has been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive revenue growth. The P/S ratio is probably low because investors think this poor revenue performance isn't going to get any better. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Sanken Electric.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

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

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 4.5%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 33% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would definitely welcome the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to slump, contracting by 8.2% per annum during the coming three years according to the four analysts following the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 14% growth per year, that's a disappointing outcome.

In light of this, it's understandable that Sanken Electric's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. However, shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Key Takeaway

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Sanken Electric's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue is contributing to its low P/S. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Sanken Electric (1 is significant!) that we have uncovered.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.