Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SHIP) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 25% share price jump in the last month. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 71%.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, there still wouldn't be many who think Seanergy Maritime Holdings' price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1.7x is worth a mention when the median P/S in the United States' Shipping industry is similar at about 1.2x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

How Seanergy Maritime Holdings Has Been Performing

While the industry has experienced revenue growth lately, Seanergy Maritime Holdings' revenue has gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour revenue performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/S from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

How Is Seanergy Maritime Holdings' Revenue Growth Trending?

Seanergy Maritime 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.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 12%. Even so, admirably revenue has lifted 74% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the revenue growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest revenue growth will be highly resilient over the next year growing by 32%. Meanwhile, the broader industry is forecast to contract by 1.7%, which would indicate the company is doing very well.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Seanergy Maritime Holdings' P/S sits in-line with the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve positive future growth in the face of a shrinking broader industry.

The Key Takeaway

Seanergy Maritime 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.

We've established that Seanergy Maritime Holdings currently trades on a lower than expected P/S since its growth forecasts are potentially beating a struggling industry. Given the glowing revenue forecasts, we can only assume potential risks are what might be capping the P/S ratio at its current levels. One such risk is that the company may not live up to analysts' revenue trajectories in tough industry conditions. It appears some are indeed anticipating revenue instability, because the company's current prospects should normally provide a boost to the share price.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Seanergy Maritime Holdings (at least 1 which is concerning), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.