Take Care Before Jumping Onto King International Investment Limited (HKG:928) Even Though It's 31% Cheaper

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the King International Investment Limited (HKG:928) share price has dived 31% in the last thirty days, prolonging recent pain. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 65% share price decline.

Following the heavy fall in price, it would be understandable if you think King International Investment is a stock with good investment prospects with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 0.3x, considering almost half the companies in Hong Kong's Healthcare industry have P/S ratios above 1x. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

See our latest analysis for King International Investment

What Does King International Investment's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that King International Investment's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For King International Investment?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like King International Investment's to be considered reasonable.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 25%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 92% in total over the last three years. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 11% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

In light of this, it's peculiar that King International Investment's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

What Does King International Investment's P/S Mean For Investors?

King International Investment's P/S has taken a dip along with its share price. 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.

We're very surprised to see King International Investment currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. Potential investors that are sceptical over continued revenue performance may be preventing the P/S ratio from matching previous strong performance. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

You need to take note of risks, for example - King International Investment has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

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.