USPACE Technology Group Limited (HKG:1725) May Have Run Too Fast Too Soon With Recent 27% Price Plummet

The USPACE Technology Group Limited (HKG:1725) share price has softened a substantial 27% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. Looking at the bigger picture, even after this poor month the stock is up 92% in the last year.

Even after such a large drop in price, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Electronic industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.5x, you may still consider USPACE Technology Group as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.6x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

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View our latest analysis for USPACE Technology Group

How Has USPACE Technology Group Performed Recently?

For example, consider that USPACE Technology Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the company can do enough to outperform the rest of the industry in the near future, which is keeping the P/S ratio high. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For USPACE Technology Group?

USPACE Technology Group's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 40% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 52% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 16% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this information, we find it concerning that USPACE Technology Group is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

What We Can Learn From USPACE Technology Group's P/S?

There's still some elevation in USPACE Technology Group's P/S, even if the same can't be said for its share price recently. We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that USPACE Technology Group currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we aren't comfortable with the high P/S as this revenue performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the the circumstances surrounding the recent medium-term improve, it wouldn't be wrong to expect a a difficult period ahead for the company's shareholders.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for USPACE Technology Group (2 are a bit concerning!) that we have uncovered.

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.