With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.6x in the Consumer Retailing industry in Hong Kong, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings Limited's (HKG:60) P/S ratio, which comes in at about the same. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
View our latest analysis for Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings
How Has Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings Performed Recently?
As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing revenue performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?
The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.
In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 12%. Regardless, revenue has managed to lift by a handy 25% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.
Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 9.8% shows it's noticeably less attractive.
With this in mind, we find it intriguing that Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings' P/S is comparable to that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.
The Key Takeaway
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 Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings' average P/S is a bit surprising since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. When we see weak revenue with slower than industry growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, bringing the P/S back in line with expectations. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, the probability of a share price decline will become quite substantial, placing shareholders at risk.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Hong Kong Food Investment Holdings that you should be aware of.
Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.
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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.