Jintai Energy Holdings Limited (HKG:2728) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 41% share price jump in the last month. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 11% is also fairly reasonable.
In spite of the firm bounce in price, given about half the companies operating in Hong Kong's Oil and Gas industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 0.9x, you may still consider Jintai Energy Holdings as an attractive investment with its 0.1x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.
See our latest analysis for Jintai Energy Holdings
What Does Jintai Energy Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?
With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Jintai Energy Holdings has been doing very well. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to dwindle, which has kept the P/S suppressed. Those who are bullish on Jintai Energy Holdings will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Jintai Energy Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Jintai Energy Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?
Jintai Energy Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, we see the company's revenues grew exponentially. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen the company endure a nasty 91% drop in revenue in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 2.1% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.
With this information, we are not surprised that Jintai Energy Holdings is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.
What We Can Learn From Jintai Energy Holdings' P/S?
The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Jintai Energy Holdings' P/S close to the industry median. 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.
As we suspected, our examination of Jintai Energy Holdings revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.
You need to take note of risks, for example - Jintai Energy Holdings has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit concerning) we think you should know about.
If you're unsure about the strength of Jintai Energy Holdings' 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com