Unfortunately for some shareholders, the China Ocean Group Development Limited (HKG:8047) share price has dived 48% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain. Longer-term shareholders will rue the drop in the share price, since it's now virtually flat for the year after a promising few quarters.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Ocean Group Development's P/S ratio of 0.6x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Logistics 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.

Check out our latest analysis for China Ocean Group Development

How Has China Ocean Group Development Performed Recently?

The revenue growth achieved at China Ocean Group Development over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to only keep up with the broader industry, which has keeping the P/S in line with expectations. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For China Ocean Group Development?

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

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 13%. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with revenue shrinking 65% in total over the last three years. 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 13% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's somewhat alarming that China Ocean Group Development's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. 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 China Ocean Group Development's P/S

With its share price dropping off a cliff, the P/S for China Ocean Group Development looks to be in line with the rest of the Logistics 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.

Our look at China Ocean Group Development revealed its shrinking revenues over the medium-term haven't impacted the P/S as much as we anticipated, given the industry is set to grow. Even though it matches the industry, we're uncomfortable with the current P/S ratio, as this dismal revenue performance is unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for China Ocean Group Development (2 are potentially serious!) that we have uncovered.

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.