Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings Limited's (HKG:8005) Shares Climb 28% But Its Business Is Yet to Catch Up

Despite an already strong run, Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings Limited (HKG:8005) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 28% in the last thirty days. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 36% in the last year.

Following the firm bounce in price, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Consumer Durables industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.6x, you may consider Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.5x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.

See our latest analysis for Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings

How Has Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings Performed Recently?

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings as its revenue has been rising very briskly. It seems that many are expecting the strong revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 64% gain to the company's top line. As a result, it also grew revenue by 5.4% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 12% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's alarming that Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings' P/S is on the rise since its shares have risen strongly. 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.

Our examination of Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't detracting from the P/S as much as we though, given they look worse than current industry expectations. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these the share price as being reasonable.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Yuxing InfoTech Investment Holdings has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.