Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For Mobicon Group Limited (HKG:1213)

It's not a stretch to say that Mobicon Group Limited's (HKG:1213) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" for companies in the Electronic industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.3x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

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Check out our latest analysis for Mobicon Group

How Mobicon Group Has Been Performing

As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Mobicon Group over the last year, which is not ideal at all. Perhaps investors believe the recent revenue performance is enough to keep in line with the industry, which is keeping the P/S from dropping off. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Mobicon Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

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

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 20% 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 39% in total over the last three years. 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 18% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Mobicon Group is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Mobicon Group's P/S?

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.

Our look at Mobicon Group revealed its shrinking revenues over the medium-term haven't impacted the P/S as much as we anticipated, given the industry is set to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

Having said that, be aware Mobicon Group is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those make us uncomfortable.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Mobicon Group, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.