There's No Escaping Sarawak Cable Berhad's (KLSE:SCABLE) Muted Revenues Despite A 367% Share Price Rise

Sarawak Cable Berhad (KLSE:SCABLE) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 367% after a shaky period beforehand. The annual gain comes to 250% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

Even after such a large jump in price, Sarawak Cable Berhad's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the Electrical industry in Malaysia, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 0.9x and even P/S above 3x are quite common. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

See our latest analysis for Sarawak Cable Berhad

What Does Sarawak Cable Berhad's Recent Performance Look Like?

For instance, Sarawak Cable Berhad's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. 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 out of favour.

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

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Sarawak Cable Berhad?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Sarawak Cable Berhad's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 19% decrease to the company's top line. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 34% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 11% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's understandable that Sarawak Cable Berhad's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Final Word

Sarawak Cable Berhad's stock price has surged recently, but its but its P/S still remains modest. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

As we suspected, our examination of Sarawak Cable Berhad revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises either. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Sarawak Cable Berhad (3 don't sit too well with us) you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So if growing profitability aligns with your idea of a great company, take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.