Sheng Tang Holdings Limited (HKG:8305) May Have Run Too Fast Too Soon With Recent 28% Price Plummet

The Sheng Tang Holdings Limited (HKG:8305) share price has softened a substantial 28% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. Nonetheless, the last 30 days have barely left a scratch on the stock's annual performance, which is up a whopping 538%.

Although its price has dipped substantially, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Construction industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.4x, you may still consider Sheng Tang Holdings as a stock not worth researching with its 4.9x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/S.

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View our latest analysis for Sheng Tang Holdings

What Does Sheng Tang Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

It looks like revenue growth has deserted Sheng Tang Holdings recently, which is not something to boast about. It might be that many are expecting an improvement to the uninspiring revenue performance over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Sheng Tang Holdings' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.

Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any revenue growth to speak of for the company over the past year. Whilst it's an improvement, it wasn't enough to get the company out of the hole it was in, with revenue down 25% overall from three years ago. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 18% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's alarming that Sheng Tang Holdings' P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. 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.

The Bottom Line On Sheng Tang Holdings' P/S

A significant share price dive has done very little to deflate Sheng Tang Holdings' very lofty P/S. 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.

We've established that Sheng Tang Holdings 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.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Sheng Tang Holdings (at least 2 which are concerning), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

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.