FutureChem Co.,Ltd's (KOSDAQ:220100) 29% Share Price Surge Not Quite Adding Up

FutureChem Co.,Ltd (KOSDAQ:220100) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 29% gain in the last month alone. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 89%.

Following the firm bounce in price, FutureChemLtd may be sending strong sell signals at present with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 32.6x, when you consider almost half of the companies in the Life Sciences industry in Korea have P/S ratios under 4.1x and even P/S lower than 1.8x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

See our latest analysis for FutureChemLtd

How Has FutureChemLtd Performed Recently?

Revenue has risen firmly for FutureChemLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like FutureChemLtd's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 15% gain to the company's revenues. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 14% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

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.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that FutureChemLtd's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

FutureChemLtd's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. 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.

The fact that FutureChemLtd currently trades on a higher P/S relative to the industry is an oddity, since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support such 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.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - FutureChemLtd has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.