The Arts Optical International Holdings Limited (HKG:1120) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 27%. Longer-term, the stock has been solid despite a difficult 30 days, gaining 17% in the last year.
Although its price has dipped substantially, Arts Optical International Holdings may still look like a strong buying opportunity at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x, considering almost half of all companies in the Medical Equipment industry in Hong Kong have P/S ratios greater than 3.7x and even P/S higher than 6x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.
View our latest analysis for Arts Optical International Holdings
How Arts Optical International Holdings Has Been Performing
Revenue has risen at a steady rate over the last year for Arts Optical International Holdings, which is generally not a bad outcome. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is low because investors think this good 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.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Arts Optical International Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Arts Optical International Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Arts Optical International Holdings' to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 7.2% gain to the company's revenues. The latest three year period has also seen a 11% overall rise in revenue, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.
Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 35% shows it's noticeably less attractive.
With this in consideration, it's easy to understand why Arts Optical International Holdings' P/S falls short of the mark set by its industry peers. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the wider industry.
The Bottom Line On Arts Optical International Holdings' P/S
Having almost fallen off a cliff, Arts Optical International Holdings' share price has pulled its P/S way down as well. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.
Our examination of Arts Optical International Holdings confirms that the company's revenue trends over the past three-year years are a key factor in its low price-to-sales ratio, as we suspected, given they fall short of current industry expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price experience a reversal of fortunes anytime soon.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Arts Optical International Holdings that you should be aware 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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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.