Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group Limited's (HKG:1341) Popularity With Investors Under Threat As Stock Sinks 26%

Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group Limited (HKG:1341) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 26% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 53% loss during that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Trade Distributors industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.5x, you may still consider Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group as a stock not worth researching with its 13.3x 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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Check out our latest analysis for Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group

What Does Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. 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 Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's Revenue Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's to be considered reasonable.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 16%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 34% 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 4.5% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this in mind, we find it worrying that Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. 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.

What We Can Learn From Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's P/S?

Even after such a strong price drop, Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group's P/S still exceeds the industry median significantly. 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.

Our examination of Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term isn't resulting in a P/S as low as we expected, given the industry is set to grow. 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. 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 3 warning signs for Hao Tian International Construction Investment Group you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit unpleasant.

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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.