Some Leform Berhad (KLSE:LEFORM) Shareholders Look For Exit As Shares Take 31% Pounding

Leform Berhad ( KLSE:LEFORM ) shares have retraced a considerable 31% in the last month, reversing a fair amount of their solid recent performance. Looking back over the past twelve months the stock has been a solid performer regardless, with a gain of 20%.

Even after such a large drop in price, when almost half of the companies in Malaysia's Metals and Mining industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 0.4x, you may still consider Leform Berhad as a stock probably not worth researching with its 1.1x 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 as high as it is.

View our latest analysis for Leform Berhad

How Leform Berhad Has Been Performing

For instance, Leform Berhad's receding revenue in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/S from collapsing. However, if this isn't the case, investors might get caught out paying too much for the stock.

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

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

Leform Berhad's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better 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 11%. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 1.8% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 3.9% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's alarming that Leform Berhad's P/S sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

What We Can Learn From Leform Berhad's P/S?

Leform Berhad's P/S remain high even after its stock plunged. 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.

We've established that Leform Berhad currently trades on a much higher than expected P/S since its recent revenues have been in decline over the medium-term. With a revenue decline on investors' minds, the likelihood of a souring sentiment is quite high which could send the P/S back in line with what we'd expect. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Leform Berhad (of which 3 can't be ignored!) 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.