Little Excitement Around China Digital Video Holdings Limited's (HKG:8280) Revenues As Shares Take 26% Pounding

To the annoyance of some shareholders, China Digital Video Holdings Limited (HKG:8280) shares are down a considerable 26% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. Still, a bad month hasn't completely ruined the past year with the stock gaining 43%, which is great even in a bull market.

Since its price has dipped substantially, China Digital Video Holdings may be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x, since almost half of all companies in the Entertainment industry in Hong Kong have P/S ratios greater than 1.4x and even P/S higher than 4x are not unusual. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

We've discovered 3 warning signs about China Digital Video Holdings. View them for free.

View our latest analysis for China Digital Video Holdings

How China Digital Video Holdings Has Been Performing

For example, consider that China Digital Video Holdings' financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. One possibility is that the P/S is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on China Digital Video Holdings will be hoping that this isn't the case so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for China Digital Video Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like China Digital Video Holdings' 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 33%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 57% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

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 in mind, we understand why China Digital Video Holdings' P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Bottom Line On China Digital Video Holdings' P/S

China Digital Video Holdings' P/S has taken a dip along with its share price. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

Our examination of China Digital Video Holdings confirms that the company's shrinking revenue over the past medium-term is a key factor in its low price-to-sales ratio, given the industry is projected to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 3 warning signs for China Digital Video Holdings that we have uncovered.

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.