WebX International Holdings Company Limited (HKG:8521) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 34% after a shaky period beforehand. The annual gain comes to 127% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.
Since its price has surged higher, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Luxury industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.7x, you may consider WebX International Holdings as a stock not worth researching with its 4.2x 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 so lofty.
View our latest analysis for WebX International Holdings
What Does WebX International Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?
Recent times have been quite advantageous for WebX International Holdings as its revenue has been rising very briskly. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to outperform the wider market, which has seemingly got people interested in the stock. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.
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 WebX International Holdings' earnings, revenue and cash flow.Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like WebX International Holdings' to be considered reasonable.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 32%. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year revenue frustratingly shrank by 12% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.
Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 12% shows it's an unpleasant look.
With this in mind, we find it worrying that WebX International Holdings' P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.
The Final Word
The strong share price surge has lead to WebX International Holdings' P/S soaring as well. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
We've established that WebX International Holdings currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see revenue heading backwards and underperforming the industry forecasts, we feel the possibility of the share price declining is very real, bringing the P/S back into the realm of reasonability. Unless the the circumstances surrounding the recent medium-term improve, it wouldn't be wrong to expect a a difficult period ahead for the company's shareholders.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 3 warning signs for WebX International Holdings (2 are significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on WebX International Holdings, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
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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.