You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.5x Qilian International Holding Group Limited (NASDAQ:QLI) is definitely a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Pharmaceuticals companies in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 2.9x and even P/S above 14x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

Check out our latest analysis for Qilian International Holding Group

What Does Qilian International Holding Group's Recent Performance Look Like?

For instance, Qilian International Holding Group'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.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Qilian International Holding Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as depressed as Qilian International Holding Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 28% decrease to the company's top line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 7.1% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 17% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this in mind, we understand why Qilian International Holding Group's P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Bottom Line On Qilian International Holding Group's P/S

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

It's no surprise that Qilian International Holding Group maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Qilian International Holding Group (of which 2 are a bit concerning!) you should know about.

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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