Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300673) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 37% share price jump in the last month. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 26%.

Since its price has surged higher, given close to half the companies operating in China’s Food industry have price-to-sales ratios (or “P/S”) below 1.5x, you may consider Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology as a stock to potentially avoid with its 2.2x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we’d need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.

View our latest analysis for Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology

How Has Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology Performed Recently?

Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology certainly has been doing a good job lately as it’s been growing revenue more than most other companies. It seems the market expects this form will continue into the future, hence the elevated P/S ratio. However, if this isn’t the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

If you’d like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology’s P/S ratio would be typical for a company that’s expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 28%. Revenue has also lifted 20% in aggregate from three years ago, mostly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 20% during the coming year according to the ten analysts following the company. That’s shaping up to be materially higher than the 16% growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it’s understandable that Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology’s P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

The large bounce in Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology’s shares has lifted the company’s P/S handsomely. Typically, we’d caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our look into Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology shows that its P/S ratio remains high on the merit of its strong future revenues. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in revenues is quite remote, justifying the elevated P/S ratio. Unless the analysts have really missed the mark, these strong revenue forecasts should keep the share price buoyant.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company’s balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Petpal Pet Nutrition Technology with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.