Why Investors Shouldn't Be Surprised By Rex Industry Berhad's (KLSE:REX) Low P/S

When you see that almost half of the companies in the Food industry in Malaysia have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.2x, Rex Industry Berhad (KLSE:REX) looks to be giving off some buy signals with its 0.5x 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 Rex Industry Berhad

How Has Rex Industry Berhad Performed Recently?

For example, consider that Rex Industry Berhad's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. 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 Rex Industry Berhad will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

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

Rex Industry Berhad's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 9.2%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 1.7% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 4.9% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this in mind, we understand why Rex Industry Berhad's P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. 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. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Key Takeaway

We'd say the price-to-sales ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Rex Industry 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.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Rex Industry Berhad (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about.

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.