Xinhua News Media Holdings Limited (HKG:309) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 27% gain in the last month alone. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 21% over that time.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Xinhua News Media Holdings' P/S ratio of 0.3x, since the median price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio for the Commercial Services industry in Hong Kong is also close to 0.5x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/S.

How Xinhua News Media Holdings Has Been Performing

Revenue has risen firmly for Xinhua News Media Holdings recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable revenue performance to wane, which has kept the P/S from rising. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Xinhua News Media Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?

Xinhua News Media Holdings' P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the industry.

If we review the last year of revenue growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 11%. However, due to its less than impressive performance prior to this period, revenue growth is practically non-existent over the last three years overall. 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 8.7% shows it's noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that Xinhua News Media Holdings' P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. 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 Xinhua News Media Holdings' P/S

Xinhua News Media Holdings appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump bringing its P/S back in line with other companies in 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.

Our examination of Xinhua News Media Holdings revealed its poor three-year revenue trends aren't resulting in a lower P/S as per our expectations, given they look worse than current industry outlook. Right now we are uncomfortable with the P/S as this revenue performance isn't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's hard to accept the current share price as fair value.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Xinhua News Media Holdings (1 is concerning!) that you need to take into consideration.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Xinhua News Media Holdings, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.