YMT Co., Ltd.'s (KOSDAQ:251370) Share Price Could Signal Some Risk

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.7x in the Chemicals industry in Korea, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about YMT Co., Ltd.'s (KOSDAQ:251370) P/S ratio of 1.2x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

See our latest analysis for YMT

What Does YMT's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Revenue has risen at a steady rate over the last year for YMT, which is generally not a bad outcome. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to only match most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from rising. Those who are bullish on YMT will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for YMT, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is YMT's Revenue Growth Trending?

YMT's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 3.6% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 12% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 20% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's curious that YMT'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. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Final Word

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 YMT'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 there is a significant improvement in the company's medium-term performance, it will be difficult to prevent the P/S ratio from declining to a more reasonable level.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for YMT that you need to take into consideration.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.