Revenues Not Telling The Story For ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance Co., Ltd. (HKG:6060) After Shares Rise 35%

ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance Co., Ltd. (HKG:6060) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 35% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 37% over that time.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.7x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Insurance industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.5x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

Check out our latest analysis for ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance

What Does ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this strong revenue performance might be about to tail off. If the company manages to stay the course, then investors should be rewarded with a share price that matches its revenue figures.

Keen to find out how analysts think ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/S?

ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 30% last year. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 60% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 14% each year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 17% each year growth forecast for the broader industry.

In light of this, it's curious that ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of revenue growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Final Word

Its shares have lifted substantially and now ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's P/S is back within range of the industry median. 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 look at the analysts forecasts of ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance's revenue prospects has shown that its inferior revenue outlook isn't negatively impacting its P/S as much as we would have predicted. At present, we aren't confident in the P/S as the predicted future revenues aren't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Circumstances like this present a risk to current and prospective investors who may see share prices fall if the low revenue growth impacts the sentiment.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance you should be aware of.

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.