Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong) Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002348) Stock Rockets 40% As Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected

Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong) Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002348) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 40% gain in the last month alone. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 27% in the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in China's Leisure industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 3.7x, you may consider Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd as a stock to avoid entirely with its 18.2x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd

How Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd Has Been Performing

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd over the last year, which is not ideal at all. 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. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

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

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 7.7%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 45% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 22% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's alarming that Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. 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.

The Final Word

Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd's P/S has grown nicely over the last month thanks to a handy boost in the share price. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. With a revenue decline on investors' minds, the likelihood of a souring sentiment is quite high which could send the P/S back in line with what we'd expect. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Goldlok Holdings(Guangdong)Ltd you should be aware of.

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.