ENEX Co., LTD. (KRX:011090) Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected

With a median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of close to 0.5x in the Consumer Durables industry in Korea, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about ENEX Co., LTD.'s (KRX:011090) P/S ratio of 0.1x. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for ENEX

How ENEX Has Been Performing

ENEX has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue at a solid pace. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

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

How Is ENEX's Revenue Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like ENEX's is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 12% last year. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with revenue shrinking 1.3% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 5.3% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this information, we find it concerning that ENEX 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. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our look at ENEX 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.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for ENEX (2 are significant!) that you should be aware of.

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.