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China Tangshang Holdings Limited (HKG:674) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 31% share price drop in the last month. Looking at the bigger picture, even after this poor month the stock is up 67% in the last year.

Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for thinking China Tangshang Holdings is a stock not worth researching with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 1.1x, considering almost half the companies in Hong Kong's Commercial Services industry have P/S ratios below 0.5x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

Check out our latest analysis for China Tangshang Holdings

How Has China Tangshang Holdings Performed Recently?

For instance, China Tangshang Holdings' receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the industry for P/S ratios like China Tangshang Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 54% decrease to the company's top line. The latest three year period has seen an incredible overall rise in revenue, a stark contrast to the last 12 months. So while the company has done a great job in the past, it's somewhat concerning to see revenue growth decline so harshly.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 4.3% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

With this in consideration, it's not hard to understand why China Tangshang Holdings' P/S is high relative to its industry peers. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the wider industry.

What We Can Learn From China Tangshang Holdings' P/S?

There's still some elevation in China Tangshang Holdings' P/S, even if the same can't be said for its share price recently. 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.

It's no surprise that China Tangshang Holdings can support its high P/S given the strong revenue growth its experienced over the last three-year is superior to the current industry outlook. In the eyes of shareholders, the probability of a continued growth trajectory is great enough to prevent the P/S from pulling back. Barring any significant changes to the company's ability to make money, the share price should continue to be propped up.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for China Tangshang Holdings (2 can't be ignored) you should be aware 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.