Some China Ocean Group Development Limited (HKG:8047) Shareholders Look For Exit As Shares Take 32% Pounding

The China Ocean Group Development Limited (HKG:8047) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 32%. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 41% share price drop.

Although its price has dipped substantially, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Ocean Group Development's P/S ratio of 0.4x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Logistics industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.2x. 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.

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View our latest analysis for China Ocean Group Development

How China Ocean Group Development Has Been Performing

The recent revenue growth at China Ocean Group Development would have to be considered satisfactory if not spectacular. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to only match most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from rising. If not, then at least existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, China Ocean Group Development would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 6.3% gain to the company's revenues. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with revenue shrinking 31% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 10% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that China Ocean Group Development's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

Following China Ocean Group Development's share price tumble, its P/S is just clinging on to the industry median P/S. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We find it unexpected that China Ocean Group Development trades at a P/S ratio that is comparable to the rest of the industry, despite experiencing declining revenues during the medium-term, while the industry as a whole is expected to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with China Ocean Group Development (including 2 which are a bit concerning).

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.