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Vision Values Holdings Limited (HKG:862) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 57% after a shaky period beforehand. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 18% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, given about half the companies operating in Hong Kong's IT industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 0.9x, you may still consider Vision Values Holdings as an attractive investment with its 0.3x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Vision Values Holdings

What Does Vision Values Holdings' Recent Performance Look Like?

With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Vision Values Holdings has been doing very well. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is low because investors think this strong revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. 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?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Vision Values Holdings would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 31%. This great performance means it was also able to deliver immense revenue growth over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 15% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Vision Values Holdings' P/S sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Key Takeaway

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Vision Values Holdings' P/S close to the industry median. 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.

We're very surprised to see Vision Values Holdings 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. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to perceive a likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Vision Values Holdings that you need to be mindful of.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.