FDB Holdings Limited (HKG:1826) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 38% and undoing the prior period's positive performance.   The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 55% loss during that time.  

In spite of the heavy fall in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about FDB Holdings' P/S ratio of 0.2x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Construction industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.3x.  While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.    

View our latest analysis for FDB Holdings

SEHK:1826 Price to Sales Ratio vs Industry January 19th 2024

What Does FDB Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

For example, consider that FDB Holdings' financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline.   One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think the company might still do enough to be in line with the broader industry in the near future.  If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.    

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

How Is FDB Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?  

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like FDB Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.  

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 13%.   This means it has also seen a slide in revenue over the longer-term as revenue is down 62% in total over the last three years.  So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing revenue over that time.  

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 13% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's somewhat alarming that FDB Holdings' 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.  

What We Can Learn From FDB Holdings' P/S?

FDB Holdings' 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.

We find it unexpected that FDB Holdings trades at a P/S ratio that is comparable to the rest of the industry, despite experiencing declining revenues during the medium-term, while the industry as a whole is expected 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.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for FDB Holdings (2 are potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful 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).