There's Reason For Concern Over Pacific Legend Group Limited's (HKG:8547) Massive 25% Price Jump

Pacific Legend Group Limited (HKG:8547) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 25% gain in the last month alone. Longer-term shareholders would be thankful for the recovery in the share price since it's now virtually flat for the year after the recent bounce.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, there still wouldn't be many who think Pacific Legend Group's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x is worth a mention when the median P/S in Hong Kong's Specialty Retail industry is similar at about 0.5x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

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View our latest analysis for Pacific Legend Group

How Has Pacific Legend Group Performed Recently?

Pacific Legend Group certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing its revenue at a really rapid pace. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to taper off, 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 Pacific Legend Group's is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 31% gain to the company's top line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 34% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 42% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that Pacific Legend Group's P/S is comparable to that of its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Final Word

Pacific Legend Group 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.

Our examination of Pacific Legend Group revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't resulting in a lower P/S as per our expectations, given they look worse than current industry outlook. 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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 4 warning signs for Pacific Legend Group that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Pacific Legend Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.