Why Investors Shouldn't Be Surprised By ZO Future Group's (HKG:2309) 28% Share Price Surge

Those holding ZO Future Group (HKG:2309) shares would be relieved that the share price has rebounded 28% in the last thirty days, but it needs to keep going to repair the recent damage it has caused to investor portfolios. The annual gain comes to 263% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

Since its price has surged higher, when almost half of the companies in Hong Kong's Entertainment industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.6x, you may consider ZO Future Group as a stock not worth researching with its 7x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

See our latest analysis for ZO Future Group

How Has ZO Future Group Performed Recently?

The revenue growth achieved at ZO Future Group over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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 ZO Future Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The High P/S Ratio?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as ZO Future Group's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 27% gain to the company's top line. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 67% 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.

Comparing that to the industry, which is only predicted to deliver 14% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

With this information, we can see why ZO Future Group is trading at such a high P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are expecting this strong growth to continue and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

The strong share price surge has lead to ZO Future Group's P/S soaring as well. 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.

We've established that ZO Future Group maintains its high P/S on the strength of its recent three-year growth being higher than the wider industry forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential continued revenue growth in the future is great enough to warrant an inflated P/S. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - ZO Future Group has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.