Subdued Growth No Barrier To China Jicheng Holdings Limited (HKG:1027) With Shares Advancing 26%

China Jicheng Holdings Limited (HKG:1027) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 26% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, despite the strong performance over the last month, the full year gain of 9.1% isn't as attractive.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Jicheng Holdings' P/S ratio of 1.1x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Luxury industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.6x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

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See our latest analysis for China Jicheng Holdings

What Does China Jicheng Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Revenue has risen firmly for China Jicheng Holdings recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S from rising. 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 not quite in favour.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like China Jicheng Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 20% last year. Revenue has also lifted 15% in aggregate from three years ago, mostly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 24% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we find it interesting that China Jicheng Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On China Jicheng Holdings' P/S

China Jicheng Holdings appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in the industry 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 China Jicheng Holdings' average P/S is a bit surprising since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. When we see weak revenue with slower than industry growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, bringing the P/S back in line with expectations. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, the probability of a share price decline will become quite substantial, placing shareholders at risk.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with China Jicheng Holdings (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us).

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.

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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.