Subdued Growth No Barrier To Star Shine Holdings Group Limited (HKG:1440) With Shares Advancing 44%

Star Shine Holdings Group Limited (HKG:1440) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 44% gain and recovering from prior weakness. The last month tops off a massive increase of 182% in the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, you could be forgiven for thinking Star Shine Holdings Group is a stock to steer clear of with a price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") of 25.5x, considering almost half the companies in Hong Kong's Luxury industry have P/S ratios below 0.7x. 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 Star Shine Holdings Group

How Has Star Shine Holdings Group Performed Recently?

For example, consider that Star Shine Holdings Group'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. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Star Shine Holdings Group, 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?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Star Shine Holdings Group would need to produce outstanding growth that's well in excess of the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 38%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 47% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 12% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's alarming that Star Shine Holdings Group's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. 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 Bottom Line On Star Shine Holdings Group's P/S

Shares in Star Shine Holdings Group have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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.

Our examination of Star Shine Holdings 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. 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. Unless the the circumstances surrounding the recent medium-term improve, it wouldn't be wrong to expect a a difficult period ahead for the company's shareholders.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Star Shine Holdings Group (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.