There wouldn't be many who think CSC Holdings Limited's (SGX:C06) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x is worth a mention when the median P/S for the Construction industry in Singapore is similar at about 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 CSC Holdings

How CSC Holdings Has Been Performing

Revenue has risen at a steady rate over the last year for CSC Holdings, which is generally not a bad outcome. Perhaps the expectation moving forward is that the revenue growth will track in line with the wider industry for the near term, which has kept the P/S subdued. 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 CSC 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?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow revenues by a handy 7.0% last year. Revenue has also lifted 26% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 11% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that CSC Holdings' P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent revenue trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Bottom Line On CSC Holdings' P/S

While the price-to-sales ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of revenue expectations.

We've established that CSC Holdings' average P/S is a bit surprising since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. Right now we are uncomfortable with the P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. If recent medium-term revenue trends continue, the probability of a share price decline will become quite substantial, placing shareholders at risk.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for CSC Holdings (2 are a bit concerning!) that 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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