The Trek 2000 International Ltd (SGX:5AB) share price has softened a substantial 35% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 25% in that time.

After such a large drop in price, considering around half the companies operating in Singapore's Tech industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") above 1.3x, you may consider Trek 2000 International as an solid investment opportunity with its 0.7x P/S ratio. However, the P/S might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

What Does Trek 2000 International's Recent Performance Look Like?

For example, consider that Trek 2000 International's financial performance has been poor lately as its revenue has been in decline. Perhaps the market believes the recent revenue performance isn't good enough to keep up the industry, causing the P/S ratio to suffer. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Do Revenue Forecasts Match The Low P/S Ratio?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Trek 2000 International would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the industry.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 34% decrease to the company's top line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk revenue by 43% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the revenue growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Weighing that medium-term revenue trajectory against the broader industry's one-year forecast for expansion of 16% shows it's an unpleasant look.

With this in mind, we understand why Trek 2000 International's P/S is lower than most of its industry peers. However, we think shrinking revenues are unlikely to lead to a stable P/S over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent revenue trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Bottom Line On Trek 2000 International's P/S

The southerly movements of Trek 2000 International's shares means its P/S is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Trek 2000 International revealed its shrinking revenue over the medium-term is contributing to its low P/S, given the industry is set to grow. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in revenue isn't great enough to justify a higher P/S ratio. Given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Trek 2000 International (2 are concerning) you should be aware 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).

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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.