Pensonic Holdings Berhad (KLSE:PENSONI) Stock Catapults 27% Though Its Price And Business Still Lag The Industry

Pensonic Holdings Berhad (KLSE:PENSONI) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 27% after a shaky period beforehand. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 19% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, considering around half the companies operating in Malaysia's Consumer Durables industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.1x, you may still consider Pensonic Holdings Berhad as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.3x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

View our latest analysis for Pensonic Holdings Berhad

What Does Pensonic Holdings Berhad's P/S Mean For Shareholders?

Pensonic Holdings Berhad 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 degrade substantially, 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.

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Pensonic Holdings Berhad will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

How Is Pensonic Holdings Berhad's Revenue Growth Trending?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew revenue by an impressive 16% last year. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year revenue frustratingly shrank by 4.0% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenues over that time.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 21% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's understandable that Pensonic Holdings Berhad's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. 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

Pensonic Holdings Berhad's stock price has surged recently, but its but its P/S still remains modest. While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

Our examination of Pensonic Holdings Berhad confirms that the company's shrinking revenue over the past medium-term is a key factor in its low price-to-sales ratio, given the industry is projected to grow. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 4 warning signs for Pensonic Holdings Berhad (2 are significant!) that we have uncovered.

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.