Orient Overseas (International) Limited (HKG:316) Could Be Riskier Than It Looks

It's not a stretch to say that Orient Overseas (International) Limited's (HKG:316) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1x seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for Shipping companies in Hong Kong, seeing as it matches the P/S ratio of the wider industry. 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 Orient Overseas (International)

How Orient Overseas (International) Has Been Performing

Orient Overseas (International) has been struggling lately as its revenue has declined faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think the company's revenue trend will eventually fall in line with most others in the industry. If you still like the company, you'd want its revenue trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

How Is Orient Overseas (International)'s Revenue Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Orient Overseas (International) would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 36%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 28% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the seven analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 12% over the next year. With the industry only predicted to deliver 0.3%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

With this in consideration, we find it intriguing that Orient Overseas (International)'s P/S is closely matching its industry peers. Apparently some shareholders are skeptical of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Orient Overseas (International) currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its forecasted revenue growth is higher than the wider industry. Perhaps uncertainty in the revenue forecasts are what's keeping the P/S ratio consistent with the rest of the industry. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future revenue could see some volatility.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for Orient Overseas (International) (2 are a bit unpleasant!) 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.