Snack Empire Holdings Limited (HKG:1843) Stock Rockets 38% As Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected

Snack Empire Holdings Limited (HKG:1843) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 38% share price jump in the last month. Looking further back, the 11% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Snack Empire Holdings' P/S ratio of 0.7x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Hospitality industry in Hong Kong is about the same. 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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Check out our latest analysis for Snack Empire Holdings

What Does Snack Empire Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Snack Empire Holdings has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. 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.

Is There Some Revenue Growth Forecasted For Snack Empire Holdings?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like Snack Empire Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 18%. As a result, it also grew revenue by 23% in total over the last three years. 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 13% 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 Snack Empire Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. 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 Snack Empire Holdings' P/S

Snack Empire Holdings' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/S level with the rest of the industry. 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've established that Snack Empire 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 3 warning signs we've spotted with Snack Empire Holdings (including 1 which is potentially serious).

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.