Revenues Not Telling The Story For Pacific Legend Group Limited (HKG:8547) After Shares Rise 47%

Pacific Legend Group Limited (HKG:8547) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 47% share price jump in the last month. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 35%.

Even after such a large jump in price, there still wouldn't be many who think Pacific Legend Group's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x is worth a mention when the median P/S in Hong Kong's Specialty Retail industry is similar at about 0.6x. 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.

AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early.

See our latest analysis for Pacific Legend Group

What Does Pacific Legend Group's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Pacific Legend Group as its revenue has been rising very briskly. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to wane, which has kept the share price, and thus the P/S ratio, from rising. Those who are bullish on Pacific Legend Group will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

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.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 31% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 34% overall rise in revenue, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 82% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we find it interesting that Pacific Legend Group 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. 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 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.

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.

Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with Pacific Legend Group (including 2 which are significant).

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.