Cabnet Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:CABNET) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.4x may look like a pretty appealing investment opportunity when you consider close to half the companies in the Commercial Services industry in Malaysia have P/S ratios greater than 1.1x. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.
View our latest analysis for Cabnet Holdings Berhad
What Does Cabnet Holdings Berhad's Recent Performance Look Like?
Revenue has risen firmly for Cabnet Holdings Berhad recently, which is pleasing to see. Perhaps the market is expecting this acceptable revenue performance to take a dive, which has kept the P/S suppressed. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Cabnet Holdings Berhad will help you shine a light on its historical performance.
How Is Cabnet Holdings Berhad's Revenue Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/S ratio, Cabnet Holdings Berhad would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.
If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 11%. The solid recent performance means it was also able to grow revenue by 22% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.
Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 22% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker, based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.
With this information, we can see why Cabnet Holdings Berhad is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.
What We Can Learn From Cabnet Holdings Berhad's P/S?
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 Cabnet Holdings Berhad revealed its three-year revenue trends are contributing to its low P/S, given they look worse than current industry expectations. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/S as they concede future revenue probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.