There's Reason For Concern Over Solomon Technology Corporation's (TWSE:2359) Price

When close to half the companies in the Electronic industry in Taiwan have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.8x, you may consider Solomon Technology Corporation (TWSE:2359) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 7x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

See our latest analysis for Solomon Technology

How Has Solomon Technology Performed Recently?

For example, consider that Solomon Technology's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Solomon Technology's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Solomon Technology's Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Solomon Technology would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 18% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 4.6% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 36% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's alarming that Solomon Technology's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Key Takeaway

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

Our examination of Solomon Technology revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term isn't resulting in a P/S as low as we expected, given the industry is set to grow. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Should recent medium-term revenue trends persist, it would pose a significant risk to existing shareholders' investments and prospective investors will have a hard time accepting the current value of the stock.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Solomon Technology 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.

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

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.