With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 6.2x in the Semiconductor industry in China, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about United Nova Technology Co.,Ltd.'s (SHSE:688469) P/S ratio, which comes in at about the same. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

How United Nova TechnologyLtd Has Been Performing

United Nova TechnologyLtd could be doing better as it's been growing revenue less than most other companies lately. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to lift, which has kept the P/S from declining. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For United Nova TechnologyLtd?

United Nova TechnologyLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 16% gain to the company's top line. Spectacularly, three year revenue growth has ballooned by several orders of magnitude, thanks in part to the last 12 months of revenue growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 30% as estimated by the one analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 38% growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that United Nova TechnologyLtd's P/S is closely matching its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On United Nova TechnologyLtd's P/S

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.

Given that United Nova TechnologyLtd's revenue growth projections are relatively subdued in comparison to the wider industry, it comes as a surprise to see it trading at its current P/S ratio. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. A positive change is needed in order to justify the current price-to-sales ratio.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 2 warning signs for United Nova TechnologyLtd (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.