Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. (NASDAQ:JCTC.F) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 28% after a shaky period beforehand. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 17% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, considering around half the companies operating in the United States' Building industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may still consider Jewett-Cameron Trading as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.3x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Jewett-Cameron Trading

What Does Jewett-Cameron Trading's Recent Performance Look Like?

For instance, Jewett-Cameron Trading's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Jewett-Cameron Trading would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 13%. Regardless, revenue has managed to lift by a handy 28% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

When compared to the industry's one-year growth forecast of 3.8%, the most recent medium-term revenue trajectory is noticeably more alluring

In light of this, it's peculiar that Jewett-Cameron Trading's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Jewett-Cameron Trading's P/S?

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Jewett-Cameron Trading's P/S close to the industry median. 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.

We're very surprised to see Jewett-Cameron Trading currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. Potential investors that are sceptical over continued revenue performance may be preventing the P/S ratio from matching previous strong performance. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to perceive a likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Jewett-Cameron Trading (at least 1 which is concerning), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.