Lacklustre Performance Is Driving Boill Healthcare Holdings Limited's (HKG:1246) Low P/S

You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x Boill Healthcare Holdings Limited (HKG:1246) is a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Real Estate companies in Hong Kong have P/S ratios greater than 0.9x and even P/S higher than 4x aren't out of the ordinary. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

See our latest analysis for Boill Healthcare Holdings

What Does Boill Healthcare Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that Boill Healthcare Holdings' financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction 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 Boill Healthcare Holdings' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Boill Healthcare Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Boill Healthcare Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 57% decrease to the company's top line. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year revenue growth is still a noteworthy 28% in total. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

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

With this in consideration, it's easy to understand why Boill Healthcare Holdings' P/S falls short of the mark set by its industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Final Word

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

In line with expectations, Boill Healthcare Holdings maintains its low P/S on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider industry forecast. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price experience a reversal of fortunes anytime soon.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Boill Healthcare Holdings (including 1 which is concerning).

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.