China Yurun Food Group Limited (HKG:1068) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 25% gain in the last month alone. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 17% is also fairly reasonable.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Yurun Food Group's P/S ratio of 0.3x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Food industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.7x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

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View our latest analysis for China Yurun Food Group

How Has China Yurun Food Group Performed Recently?

For example, consider that China Yurun Food Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing revenue performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for China Yurun Food Group, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For China Yurun Food Group?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, China Yurun Food Group would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 30% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 88% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 4.3% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that China Yurun Food Group's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. There's a 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.

The Bottom Line On China Yurun Food Group's P/S

China Yurun Food Group appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in the industry 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 find it unexpected that China Yurun Food Group trades at a P/S ratio that is comparable to the rest of the industry, despite experiencing declining revenues during the medium-term, while the industry as a whole is expected to grow. Even though it matches the industry, we're uncomfortable with the current P/S ratio, as this dismal revenue performance is unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 2 warning signs for China Yurun Food Group (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.