Getting In Cheap On China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group Limited (HKG:542) Is Unlikely

When close to half the companies in the Hospitality industry in Hong Kong have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.6x, you may consider China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group Limited (HKG:542) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 3.5x 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.

View our latest analysis for China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group

How Has China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group Performed Recently?

For instance, China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. 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. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture 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 China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group's Revenue Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the industry for P/S ratios like China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture 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 77%. Unfortunately, that's brought it right back to where it started three years ago with revenue growth being virtually non-existent overall during that time. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 16% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we find it concerning that China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group is trading at a P/S higher than the industry. 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 good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group's P/S

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our examination of China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't detracting from the P/S as much as we though, given they look worse than current industry expectations. When we see slower than industry revenue growth but an elevated P/S, there's considerable risk of the share price declining, sending the P/S lower. Unless there is a significant improvement in the company's medium-term performance, it will be difficult to prevent the P/S ratio from declining to a more reasonable level.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for China Cultural Tourism and Agriculture Group (2 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of.

If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.