Federal International Holdings Berhad (KLSE:FIHB) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. Indeed, the recent drop has reduced its annual gain to a relatively sedate 8.5% over the last twelve months.
Although its price has dipped substantially, it's still not a stretch to say that Federal International Holdings Berhad's price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.7x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Consumer Durables industry in Malaysia, seeing as it matches the P/S ratio of the wider industry. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/S without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
See our latest analysis for Federal International Holdings Berhad
As an illustration, revenue has deteriorated at Federal International Holdings Berhad over the last year, which is not ideal at all. Perhaps investors believe the recent revenue performance is enough to keep in line with the industry, which is keeping the P/S from dropping off. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Federal International Holdings Berhad, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.In order to justify its P/S ratio, Federal International Holdings Berhad would need to produce growth that's similar to 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 39%. As a result, revenue from three years ago have also fallen 56% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
In contrast to the company, the rest of the industry is expected to grow by 6.8% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term revenue decline into perspective.
In light of this, it's somewhat alarming that Federal International Holdings Berhad's P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/S falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.
Federal International Holdings Berhad's plummeting stock price has brought its P/S back to a similar region as the rest of the industry. 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.
Our look at Federal International Holdings Berhad revealed its shrinking revenues over the medium-term haven't impacted the P/S as much as we anticipated, given the industry is set to grow. When we see revenue heading backwards in the context of growing industry forecasts, it'd make sense to expect a possible share price decline on the horizon, sending the moderate P/S lower. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Federal International Holdings Berhad you should be aware of, and 2 of them make us uncomfortable.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Federal International Holdings Berhad, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
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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.