Risks Still Elevated At These Prices As New World Development Company Limited (HKG:17) Shares Dive 26%

New World Development Company Limited (HKG:17) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 55% share price decline.

Even after such a large drop in price, it's still not a stretch to say that New World Development's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Real Estate industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.6x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

See 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. It might be that many expect the dour revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on New World Development.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, New World Development would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 34%. 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. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the twelve analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 1.0% per year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is forecast to expand by 5.0% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that New World Development's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Bottom Line On New World Development's P/S

With its share price dropping off a cliff, the P/S for New World Development looks to be in line with the rest of the Real Estate industry. 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.

When you consider that New World Development's revenue growth estimates are fairly muted compared to the broader industry, it's easy to see why we consider it unexpected to be trading at its current P/S ratio. When we see companies with a relatively weaker revenue outlook compared to the industry, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/S lower. A positive change is needed in order to justify the current price-to-sales ratio.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with New World Development, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

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.