Ko Yo Chemical (Group) Limited (HKG:827) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 44% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 34% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, it's still not a stretch to say that Ko Yo Chemical (Group)'s price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the Chemicals industry in Hong Kong, where the median P/S ratio is around 0.4x. 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.

How Ko Yo Chemical (Group) Has Been Performing

It looks like revenue growth has deserted Ko Yo Chemical (Group) recently, which is not something to boast about. One possibility is that the P/S is moderate because investors think this benign revenue growth rate might not be enough to outperform the broader industry in the near future. Those who are bullish on Ko Yo Chemical (Group) will be hoping that this isn't the case, so that they can pick up the stock at a lower valuation.

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

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/S like Ko Yo Chemical (Group)'s is when the company's growth is tracking the industry closely.

If we review the last year of revenue, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. Fortunately, a few good years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by 19% in total over the last three years. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.

Comparing that to the industry, which is predicted to deliver 5.1% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is pretty similar based on recent medium-term annualised revenue results.

In light of this, it's understandable that Ko Yo Chemical (Group)'s P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see average growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From Ko Yo Chemical (Group)'s P/S?

Ko Yo Chemical (Group)'s stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/S level with the rest of the industry. It's argued the price-to-sales ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

It appears to us that Ko Yo Chemical (Group) maintains its moderate P/S off the back of its recent three-year growth being in line with the wider industry forecast. Currently, with a past revenue trend that aligns closely wit the industry outlook, shareholders are confident the company's future revenue outlook won't contain any major surprises. Given the current circumstances, it seems improbable that the share price will experience any significant movement in either direction in the near future if recent medium-term revenue trends persist.

Having said that, be aware Ko Yo Chemical (Group) is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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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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.