To the annoyance of some shareholders, Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings Limited (HKG:601) shares are down a considerable 28% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. Looking back over the past twelve months the stock has been a solid performer regardless, with a gain of 20%.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.2x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Metals and Mining industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.5x. 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 Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings

What Does Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings' P/S Mean For Shareholders?

The revenue growth achieved at Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting future revenue performance to only keep up with the broader industry, which has keeping the P/S in line with expectations. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't 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 Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/S?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the industry for P/S ratios like Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 7.7% gain to the company's revenues. Still, lamentably revenue has fallen 52% in aggregate from three years ago, which is disappointing. 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 14% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term revenue results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/S compared to the industry. 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.

The Key Takeaway

Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group 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.

Our look at Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings 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. Even though it matches the industry, we're uncomfortable with the current P/S ratio, as this dismal revenue performance is unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, investors will have a hard time accepting the share price as fair value.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

Of course, profitable companies with a history of great earnings growth are generally safer bets. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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