Optimistic Investors Push Hunan Huasheng CO.,Ltd (SHSE:600156) Shares Up 28% But Growth Is Lacking

Despite an already strong run, Hunan Huasheng CO.,Ltd (SHSE:600156) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 28% in the last thirty days. Looking further back, the 21% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

After such a large jump in price, when almost half of the companies in China's Luxury industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.7x, you may consider Hunan HuashengLtd as a stock not worth researching with its 4.1x 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 so lofty.

See our latest analysis for Hunan HuashengLtd

What Does Hunan HuashengLtd's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Hunan HuashengLtd's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Hunan HuashengLtd, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Hunan HuashengLtd's Revenue Growth Trending?

Hunan HuashengLtd's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 19%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 34% in aggregate. 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 15% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this information, we find it concerning that Hunan HuashengLtd is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. 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 heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

Hunan HuashengLtd's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. Using the price-to-sales ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Hunan HuashengLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see revenue heading backwards and underperforming the industry forecasts, we feel the possibility of the share price declining is very real, bringing the P/S back into the realm of reasonability. Should recent medium-term revenue trends persist, it would pose a significant risk to existing shareholders' investments and prospective investors will have a hard time accepting the current value of the stock.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Hunan HuashengLtd that you need to take into consideration.

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.