Revenues Not Telling The Story For EV Advanced Material Co.,Ltd (KOSDAQ:131400)

When close to half the companies in the Electronic industry in Korea have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.9x, you may consider EV Advanced Material Co.,Ltd (KOSDAQ:131400) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 2.1x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for EV Advanced MaterialLtd

What Does EV Advanced MaterialLtd's Recent Performance Look Like?

Revenue has risen at a steady rate over the last year for EV Advanced MaterialLtd, which is generally not a bad outcome. It might be that many expect the reasonable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as high as EV Advanced MaterialLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 4.2% last year. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 23% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 16% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we find it concerning that EV Advanced MaterialLtd is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

What Does EV Advanced MaterialLtd's P/S Mean For Investors?

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.

Our examination of EV Advanced MaterialLtd revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't detracting from the P/S as much as we though, given they look worse than current industry expectations. When we see slower than industry revenue growth but an elevated P/S, there's considerable risk of the share price declining, sending the P/S lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these the share price as being reasonable.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for EV Advanced MaterialLtd you should be aware of.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com