Widad Group Berhad's (KLSE:WIDAD) Shares Leap 33% Yet They're Still Not Telling The Full Story

Widad Group Berhad (KLSE:WIDAD) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 33% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Still, the 30-day jump doesn't change the fact that longer term shareholders have seen their stock decimated by the 81% share price drop in the last twelve months.

Even after such a large jump in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Widad Group Berhad's P/S ratio of 1.3x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Construction industry in Malaysia is also close to 1x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

View our latest analysis for Widad Group Berhad

What Does Widad Group Berhad's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

The revenue growth achieved at Widad Group Berhad over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to only keep up with the broader industry, which has keeping the P/S in line with expectations. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The P/S Ratio?

Widad Group Berhad's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 15% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 152% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

This is in contrast to the rest of the industry, which is expected to grow by 13% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's curious that Widad Group Berhad's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance is at its limits and have been accepting lower selling prices.

What Does Widad Group Berhad's P/S Mean For Investors?

Widad Group Berhad appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in the industry It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We didn't quite envision Widad Group Berhad's P/S sitting in line with the wider industry, considering the revenue growth over the last three-year is higher than the current industry outlook. It'd be fair to assume that potential risks the company faces could be the contributing factor to the lower than expected P/S. While recent revenue trends over the past medium-term suggest that the risk of a price decline is low, investors appear to see the likelihood of revenue fluctuations in the future.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 5 warning signs for Widad Group Berhad (3 can't be ignored!) that you need to be mindful 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.