Take Care Before Diving Into The Deep End On AHB Holdings Berhad (KLSE:AHB)

You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.6x AHB Holdings Berhad (KLSE:AHB) is a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Commercial Services companies in Malaysia have P/S ratios greater than 1.5x and even P/S higher than 5x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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Check out our latest analysis for AHB Holdings Berhad

How Has AHB Holdings Berhad Performed Recently?

With revenue growth that's exceedingly strong of late, AHB Holdings Berhad has been doing very well. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is low because investors think this strong revenue growth might actually underperform the broader industry in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Although there are no analyst estimates available for AHB Holdings 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 Low P/S Ratio?

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

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 118%. Spectacularly, three year revenue growth has ballooned by several orders of magnitude, thanks in part to the last 12 months of revenue growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have been over the moon with those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

When compared to the industry's one-year growth forecast of 45%, the most recent medium-term revenue trajectory is noticeably more alluring

In light of this, it's peculiar that AHB Holdings Berhad's P/S sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

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.

Our examination of AHB Holdings Berhad revealed its three-year revenue trends aren't boosting its P/S anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current industry expectations. 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. It appears many are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 4 warning signs for AHB Holdings Berhad that 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.