Investors Appear Satisfied With New World Development Company Limited's (HKG:17) Prospects As Shares Rocket 30%

New World Development Company Limited (HKG:17) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 30% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. 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.

Although its price has surged higher, there still wouldn't be many who think New World Development's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x is worth a mention when the median P/S in Hong Kong's Real Estate industry is similar at about 0.6x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

Check out our latest analysis for New World Development

What Does New World Development's Recent Performance Look Like?

New World Development hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this poor revenue performance will turn around. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think New World Development's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like New World Development's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 27% decrease to the company's top line. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 48% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 3.7% each year during the coming three years according to the twelve analysts following the company. With the industry predicted to deliver 3.3% growth per annum, the company is positioned for a comparable revenue result.

With this information, we can see why New World Development is trading at a fairly similar P/S to the industry. Apparently shareholders are comfortable to simply hold on while the company is keeping a low profile.

The Key Takeaway

New World Development appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in the industry 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.

We've seen that New World Development maintains an adequate P/S seeing as its revenue growth figures match the rest of the industry. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/S as they are quite confident future revenue won't throw up any surprises. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for New World Development that 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.