Despite an already strong run, Future FinTech Group Inc. (NASDAQ:FTFT) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 29% in the last thirty days. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 32% in the last twelve months.

Even after such a large jump in price, Future FinTech Group may still be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.7x, considering almost half of all companies in the Diversified Financial industry in the United States have P/S ratios greater than 2.5x and even P/S higher than 5x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Future FinTech Group's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For instance, Future FinTech 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.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Future FinTech Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 9.6%. The latest three year period has seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, a stark contrast to the last 12 months. Accordingly, shareholders will be pleased, but also have some serious questions to ponder about the last 12 months.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 1.3% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we find it odd that Future FinTech Group is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Future FinTech Group's P/S?

Despite Future FinTech Group's share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. 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 examination of Future FinTech Group revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't boosting its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current industry expectations. When we see strong revenue with faster-than-industry growth, we assume there are some significant underlying risks to the company's ability to make money which is applying downwards pressure on the P/S ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Plus, you should also learn about these 3 warning signs we've spotted with Future FinTech Group (including 1 which is significant).

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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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.