Risks Still Elevated At These Prices As Touyun Biotech Group Limited (HKG:1332) Shares Dive 31%

Touyun Biotech Group Limited (HKG:1332) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 31% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 52% share price decline.

Although its price has dipped substantially, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Packaging industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.4x, you may still consider Touyun Biotech Group as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.5x P/S ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/S.

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Check out our latest analysis for Touyun Biotech Group

How Touyun Biotech Group Has Been Performing

For example, consider that Touyun Biotech Group's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as revenue growth is non-existent. Perhaps the market believes that revenue growth will improve markedly over current levels, inflating the P/S ratio. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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 Touyun Biotech Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Enough Revenue Growth Forecasted For Touyun Biotech Group?

Touyun Biotech Group's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's top line as the year before. The lack of growth did nothing to help the company's aggregate three-year performance, which is an unsavory 54% drop in revenue. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 13% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Touyun Biotech 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. 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 Touyun Biotech Group's P/S?

There's still some elevation in Touyun Biotech Group's P/S, even if the same can't be said for its share price recently. 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 Touyun Biotech 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. Should recent medium-term revenue trends persist, it would pose a significant risk to existing shareholders' investments and prospective investors will have a hard time accepting the current value of the stock.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Touyun Biotech Group (3 are a bit unpleasant) 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.