Markor International Home Furnishings Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600337) Shares Fly 28% But Investors Aren't Buying For Growth

Markor International Home Furnishings Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600337) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 28% gain in the last month alone. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 23% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, Markor International Home Furnishings may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.9x, since almost half of all companies in the Consumer Durables industry in China have P/S ratios greater than 2x and even P/S higher than 5x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for Markor International Home Furnishings

What Does Markor International Home Furnishings' Recent Performance Look Like?

For example, consider that Markor International Home Furnishings' financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

How Is Markor International Home Furnishings' Revenue Growth Trending?

Markor International Home Furnishings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 27%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 37% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 11% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this in mind, we understand why Markor International Home Furnishings' P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

What Does Markor International Home Furnishings' P/S Mean For Investors?

Despite Markor International Home Furnishings' share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. 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.

It's no surprise that Markor International Home Furnishings maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Markor International Home Furnishings you should know about.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.