Genting Berhad's (KLSE:GENTING) Low P/S No Reason For Excitement

Genting Berhad's (KLSE:GENTING) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.7x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the Hospitality industry in Malaysia, where around half of the companies have P/S ratios above 1.6x 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.

See our latest analysis for Genting Berhad

What Does Genting Berhad's Recent Performance Look Like?

Genting Berhad certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing revenue more than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong revenue performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the share price, and thus the P/S ratio. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Keen to find out how analysts think Genting Berhad's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

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

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Genting Berhad 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 21%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 135% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have definitely welcomed those medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eleven analysts covering the company suggest revenue should grow by 4.9% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 15% per annum growth forecast for the broader industry.

With this in consideration, its clear as to why Genting Berhad's P/S is falling short industry peers. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Genting Berhad's P/S

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.

As expected, our analysis of Genting Berhad's analyst forecasts confirms that the company's underwhelming revenue outlook is a major contributor to its low P/S. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Genting Berhad that you should be aware of.

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

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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.