K3 Business Technology Group plc (LON:KBT) Not Doing Enough For Some Investors As Its Shares Slump 29%

The K3 Business Technology Group plc (LON:KBT) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 29%. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 45% share price drop.

Following the heavy fall in price, K3 Business Technology Group may be sending buy signals at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.8x, considering almost half of all companies in the Software industry in the United Kingdom have P/S ratios greater than 2.3x and even P/S higher than 5x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

See our latest analysis for K3 Business Technology Group

What Does K3 Business Technology Group's Recent Performance Look Like?

For example, consider that K3 Business Technology Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on K3 Business Technology Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is K3 Business Technology Group's Revenue Growth Trending?

K3 Business Technology Group's 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 18%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 6.2% in aggregate. 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 13% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this information, we are not surprised that K3 Business Technology Group is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. 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 We Can Learn From K3 Business Technology Group's P/S?

K3 Business Technology Group's P/S has taken a dip along with its 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.

It's no surprise that K3 Business Technology Group 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. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for K3 Business Technology Group you should be aware of.

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.