China Healthwise Holdings Limited (HKG:348) shares have had a horrible month, losing 26% after a relatively good period beforehand. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 73% loss during that time.

Although its price has dipped substantially, there still wouldn't be many who think China Healthwise Holdings' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x is worth a mention when the median P/S in Hong Kong's Leisure industry is similar at about 0.5x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Check out our latest analysis for China Healthwise Holdings

What Does China Healthwise Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

The recent revenue growth at China Healthwise Holdings would have to be considered satisfactory if not spectacular. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think this good revenue growth might only be parallel to the broader industry in the near future. If not, then at least existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For China Healthwise Holdings?

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

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 3.0%. The latest three year period has also seen a 6.1% 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.

Weighing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 3.7% shows it's about the same on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's understandable that China Healthwise Holdings' P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see average growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

What Does China Healthwise Holdings' P/S Mean For Investors?

With its share price dropping off a cliff, the P/S for China Healthwise Holdings looks to be in line with the rest of the Leisure industry. 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.

As we've seen, China Healthwise Holdings' three-year revenue trends seem to be contributing to its P/S, given they look similar to current industry expectations. Currently, with a past revenue trend that aligns closely wit the industry outlook, shareholders are confident the company's future revenue outlook won't contain any major surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for China Healthwise Holdings that you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.