Stock Analysis

IokCompany Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:078860) Stock Rockets 46% But Many Are Still Ignoring The Company

KOSDAQ:A078860
Source: Shutterstock

IokCompany Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:078860) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 46% after a shaky period beforehand. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 39% in the last twelve months.

Even after such a large jump in price, IokCompany's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the Entertainment industry in Korea, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.7x and even P/S above 4x are quite common. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

View our latest analysis for IokCompany

ps-multiple-vs-industry
KOSDAQ:A078860 Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry March 15th 2024

How Has IokCompany Performed Recently?

IokCompany certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing its revenue at a really rapid pace. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/S ratio. Those who are bullish on IokCompany will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

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

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, IokCompany would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 76%. Pleasingly, revenue has also lifted 112% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been superb for the company.

Comparing that recent medium-term revenue trajectory with the industry's one-year growth forecast of 14% shows it's noticeably more attractive.

With this in mind, we find it intriguing that IokCompany's P/S isn't as high compared to that of its industry peers. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

Despite IokCompany's share price climbing recently, its P/S still lags most other companies. 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.

We're very surprised to see IokCompany currently trading on a much lower than expected P/S since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider industry forecast. When we see strong revenue with faster-than-industry growth, we assume there are some significant underlying risks to the company's ability to make money which is applying downwards pressure on the P/S ratio. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to perceive a likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

You need to take note of risks, for example - IokCompany has 4 warning signs (and 2 which don't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

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

Valuation is complex, but we're helping make it simple.

Find out whether IokCompany is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.

View the Free Analysis

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.