Universal Health International Group Holding Limited's (HKG:2211) Price Is Right But Growth Is Lacking After Shares Rocket 75%

Universal Health International Group Holding Limited (HKG:2211) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 75% gain in the last month alone. The last month tops off a massive increase of 136% in the last year.

Even after such a large jump in price, considering around half the companies operating in Hong Kong's Healthcare industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 0.9x, you may still consider Universal Health International Group Holding as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.1x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

See our latest analysis for Universal Health International Group Holding

What Does Universal Health International Group Holding's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For instance, Universal Health International Group Holding's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. 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.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/S?

Universal Health International Group Holding's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 16% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 8.1% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 13% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's understandable that Universal Health International Group Holding's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

What Does Universal Health International Group Holding's P/S Mean For Investors?

Universal Health International Group Holding's stock price has surged recently, but its but its P/S still remains modest. While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

It's no surprise that Universal Health International Group Holding maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Universal Health International Group Holding (2 can't be ignored) 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.