Zhongchao Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ZCMD) 32% Dip In Price Shows Sentiment Is Matching Revenues

Zhongchao Inc. (NASDAQ:ZCMD) shares have had a horrible month, losing 32% after a relatively good period beforehand. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 87% share price decline.

Since its price has dipped substantially, given about half the companies operating in the United States' Consumer Services industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.3x, you may consider Zhongchao as an attractive investment with its 0.4x P/S ratio. 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 Zhongchao

How Has Zhongchao Performed Recently?

For example, consider that Zhongchao's financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as revenue growth is non-existent. It might be that many expect the uninspiring revenue performance to worsen, which has repressed the P/S. If not, then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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

Is There Any Revenue Growth Forecasted For Zhongchao?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as low as Zhongchao's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's top line as the year before. This isn't what shareholders were looking for as it means they've been left with a 4.1% decline in revenue over the last three years in total. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 13% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's understandable that Zhongchao's P/S would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/S has reached a floor yet with revenue going in reverse. There's potential for the P/S to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its top-line growth.

The Final Word

The southerly movements of Zhongchao's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-sales ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of Zhongchao revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set 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.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Zhongchao has 4 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.