Market Still Lacking Some Conviction On Ecomott Inc. (TSE:3987)

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 1.1x in the IT industry in Japan, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Ecomott Inc.'s (TSE:3987) 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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View our latest analysis for Ecomott

What Does Ecomott's Recent Performance Look Like?

Revenue has risen firmly for Ecomott recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S from rising. 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 Ecomott will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

How Is Ecomott's Revenue Growth Trending?

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

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 12%. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see revenue up by 35% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 7.0% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we find it interesting that Ecomott is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance is at its limits and have been accepting lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Ecomott's P/S?

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.

We've established that Ecomott currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. When we see strong revenue with faster-than-industry growth, we can only assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/S ratio. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued if recent medium-term revenue trends continue, but investors seem to think future revenue could see some volatility.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for Ecomott (2 are significant!) that you need to be mindful 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.