Canadian Solar Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CSIQ) Share Price Boosted 29% But Its Business Prospects Need A Lift Too

Despite an already strong run, Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 29% in the last thirty days. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 19% over that time.

Even after such a large jump in price, Canadian Solar's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x might still make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the wider Semiconductor industry in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 4.4x and even P/S above 11x are quite common. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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View our latest analysis for Canadian Solar

How Has Canadian Solar Performed Recently?

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, Canadian Solar's revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It seems that many are expecting the poor revenue performance to persist, which has repressed the P/S ratio. So while you could say the stock is cheap, investors will be looking for improvement before they see it as good value.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Canadian Solar's to be considered reasonable.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 19%. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 7.8% in total. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the ten analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 14% per year over the next three years. With the industry predicted to deliver 22% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker revenue result.

With this in consideration, its clear as to why Canadian Solar's P/S is falling short industry peers. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

Even after such a strong price move, Canadian Solar's P/S still trails the rest of the industry. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Canadian Solar's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior revenue outlook is contributing to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. The company will need a change of fortune to justify the P/S rising higher in the future.

Having said that, be aware Canadian Solar is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is concerning.

If you're unsure about the strength of Canadian Solar's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.