Nexgram Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:NEXGRAM) Shares Bounce 33% But Its Business Still Trails The Industry

Nexgram Holdings Berhad (KLSE:NEXGRAM) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 33% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 33%.

Even after such a large jump in price, Nexgram Holdings Berhad may still look like a strong buying opportunity at present with its price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.3x, considering almost half of all companies in the Software industry in Malaysia have P/S ratios greater than 4.8x and even P/S higher than 9x aren't out of the ordinary. However, the P/S might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Check out our latest analysis for Nexgram Holdings Berhad

How Has Nexgram Holdings Berhad Performed Recently?

Nexgram Holdings Berhad certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing its revenue at a really rapid pace. 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 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.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the industry for P/S ratios like Nexgram Holdings Berhad's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 53%. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year revenue frustratingly shrank by 16% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 23% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.

With this information, we are not surprised that Nexgram Holdings Berhad is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. 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. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

What Does Nexgram Holdings Berhad's P/S Mean For Investors?

Shares in Nexgram Holdings Berhad have risen appreciably however, its P/S is still subdued. 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.

It's no surprise that Nexgram Holdings Berhad maintains its low P/S off the back of its sliding revenue over the medium-term. 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 Nexgram Holdings Berhad (3 can't be ignored!) that we have uncovered.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com