Those holding Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002256) shares would be relieved that the share price has rebounded 36% in the last thirty days, but it needs to keep going to repair the recent damage it has caused to investor portfolios. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 10% in the last twelve months.

After such a large jump in price, when almost half of the companies in China's Chemicals industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 2.1x, you may consider Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy as a stock not worth researching with its 15.2x 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.

What Does Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as revenue growth is non-existent. It might be that many are expecting an improvement to the uninspiring revenue performance over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. This isn't what shareholders were looking for as it means they've been left with a 21% decline in revenue over the last three years in total. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 25% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. 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. 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.

What We Can Learn From Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy's P/S?

Shares in Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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 Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy 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. With a revenue decline on investors' minds, the likelihood of a souring sentiment is quite high which could send the P/S back in line with what we'd expect. 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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Shenzhen Sunrise New Energy that you should be aware of.

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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