Wonik Holdings Co.,Ltd. (KOSDAQ:030530) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 25% gain in the last month alone. This latest share price bounce rounds out a remarkable 1,434% gain over the last twelve months.
Following the firm bounce in price, given around half the companies in Korea's Semiconductor industry have price-to-sales ratios (or "P/S") below 1.6x, you may consider Wonik HoldingsLtd as a stock to avoid entirely with its 4.2x P/S ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/S at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
Check out our latest analysis for Wonik HoldingsLtd
The revenue growth achieved at Wonik HoldingsLtd over the last year would be more than acceptable for most companies. Perhaps the market is expecting this decent revenue performance to beat out the industry over the near term, which has kept the P/S propped up. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Wonik HoldingsLtd will help you shine a light on its historical performance.The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/S as steep as Wonik HoldingsLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the industry decidedly.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 8.6% gain to the company's revenues. Although, the latest three year period in total hasn't been as good as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing revenue over that time.
Comparing the recent medium-term revenue trends against the industry's one-year growth forecast of 49% shows it's noticeably less attractive.
With this in mind, we find it worrying that Wonik HoldingsLtd's P/S exceeds that of its industry peers. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. 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 recent growth rates.
Shares in Wonik HoldingsLtd have seen a strong upwards swing lately, which has really helped boost its P/S figure. 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.
The fact that Wonik HoldingsLtd currently trades on a higher P/S relative to the industry is an oddity, since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider industry forecast. When we see slower than industry revenue growth but an elevated P/S, there's considerable risk of the share price declining, sending the P/S lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these the share price as being reasonable.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Wonik HoldingsLtd that you should be aware of.
If you're unsure about the strength of Wonik HoldingsLtd's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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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.