Shenghua Lande Scitech Limited (HKG:8106) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 28% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 44% in that time.
Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Shenghua Lande Scitech's P/S ratio of 0.2x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Electronic industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.3x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.
See our latest analysis for Shenghua Lande Scitech
How Has Shenghua Lande Scitech Performed Recently?
Recent times have been quite advantageous for Shenghua Lande Scitech as its revenue has been rising very briskly. The P/S is probably moderate because investors think this strong revenue growth might not be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on Shenghua Lande Scitech 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 Shenghua Lande Scitech, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Shenghua Lande Scitech?
Shenghua Lande Scitech's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.
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 31% overall. 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 24% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.
With this in mind, we find it worrying that Shenghua Lande Scitech's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a 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 Bottom Line On Shenghua Lande Scitech's P/S
Shenghua Lande Scitech's plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of the industry. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
We find it unexpected that Shenghua Lande Scitech trades at a P/S ratio that is comparable to the rest of the industry, despite experiencing declining revenues during the medium-term, while the industry as a whole is expected to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for Shenghua Lande Scitech (3 are significant!) that you need to be mindful of.
If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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