Stock Analysis
Revenues Working Against GUH Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:GUH) Share Price
When you see that almost half of the companies in the Electronic industry in Malaysia have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.2x, GUH Holdings Berhad (KLSE:GUH) looks to be giving off some buy signals with its 0.4x 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.
Check out our latest analysis for GUH Holdings Berhad
What Does GUH Holdings Berhad's P/S Mean For Shareholders?
As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at GUH Holdings Berhad over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the disappointing revenue performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/S. Those who are bullish on GUH Holdings Berhad will be hoping that this isn't the case so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on GUH Holdings Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow.Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the industry for P/S ratios like GUH Holdings Berhad's to be considered reasonable.
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 3.8%. This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 6.6% in total over the last three years. 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 40% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.
With this in mind, we understand why GUH Holdings Berhad's P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.
The Key Takeaway
Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
Our examination of GUH 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. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for GUH Holdings Berhad that you should be aware of.
If strong companies turning a profit tickle your fancy, then you'll want to check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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.
About KLSE:GUH
GUH Holdings Berhad
An investment holding company, engages in the electronic, property development, and utilities businesses in Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, and internationally.