To the annoyance of some shareholders, Cherish Sunshine International Limited (HKG:1094) shares are down a considerable 30% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 73% loss during that time.
Even after such a large drop in price, given about half the companies operating in Hong Kong's IT industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may still consider Cherish Sunshine International as an attractive investment with its 0.1x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.
View our latest analysis for Cherish Sunshine International
How Has Cherish Sunshine International Performed Recently?
With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Cherish Sunshine International has been doing very well. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/S ratio. Those who are bullish on Cherish Sunshine International will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Cherish Sunshine International's earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Cherish Sunshine International's Revenue Growth Trending?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Cherish Sunshine International's to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 188% gain to the company's top line. Spectacularly, three year revenue growth has ballooned by several orders of magnitude, thanks in part to the last 12 months of revenue growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a tremendous job of growing revenue over that time.
Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 14% shows it's noticeably more attractive.
With this information, we find it odd that Cherish Sunshine International is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.
The Key Takeaway
The southerly movements of Cherish Sunshine International's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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're very surprised to see Cherish Sunshine International currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. Potential investors that are sceptical over continued revenue performance may be preventing the P/S ratio from matching previous strong performance. 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.
Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for Cherish Sunshine International (1 can't be ignored!) that we have uncovered.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com