Emeren Group Ltd's (NYSE:SOL) 29% Share Price Plunge Could Signal Some Risk

The Emeren Group Ltd (NYSE:SOL) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 29%. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 35% in that time.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Emeren Group's P/S ratio of 0.7x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Construction industry in the United States is also close to 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Emeren Group

How Emeren Group Has Been Performing

Emeren Group hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the market is expecting its poor revenue performance to improve, keeping the P/S from dropping. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Emeren Group.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Emeren Group?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like Emeren Group's to be considered reasonable.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 13%. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 16% in total. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the two analysts covering the company suggest revenue growth is heading into negative territory, declining 6.4% over the next year. That's not great when the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 10.0%.

With this information, we find it concerning that Emeren Group is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining revenues are likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

What Does Emeren Group's P/S Mean For Investors?

Emeren Group's plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of the industry. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

Our check of Emeren Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking revenue isn't bringing down its P/S as much as we would have predicted. With this in mind, we don't feel the current P/S is justified as declining revenues are unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. If we consider the revenue outlook, the P/S seems to indicate that potential investors may be paying a premium for the stock.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Emeren Group (2 are concerning!) that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Emeren Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.