Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued

- By GF Value

The stock of Pyxis Tankers (NAS:PXS, 30-year Financials) is believed to be modestly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $0.81 per share and the market cap of $30.2 million, Pyxis Tankers stock shows every sign of being modestly overvalued. GF Value for Pyxis Tankers is shown in the chart below.


Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued
Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued

Because Pyxis Tankers is relatively overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be lower than its business growth.

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Since investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss, investors must carefully review a company's financial strength before deciding whether to buy shares. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage can give a good initial perspective on the company's financial strength. Pyxis Tankers has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.03, which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Transportation industry. Based on this, GuruFocus ranks Pyxis Tankers's financial strength as 2 out of 10, suggesting poor balance sheet. This is the debt and cash of Pyxis Tankers over the past years:

Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued
Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued

It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Pyxis Tankers has been profitable 2 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $21.7 million and loss of $0.33 a share. Its operating margin is -8.94%, which ranks worse than 79% of the companies in Transportation industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Pyxis Tankers at 2 out of 10, which indicates poor profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Pyxis Tankers over the past years:

Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued
Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued

Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Pyxis Tankers's 3-year average revenue growth rate is worse than 81% of the companies in Transportation industry. Pyxis Tankers's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is -15.5%, which ranks worse than 81% of the companies in Transportation industry.

Another way to evaluate a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it indicates that the company is creating value for shareholders. Over the past 12 months, Pyxis Tankers's ROIC was -2.05, while its WACC came in at 4.28. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Pyxis Tankers is shown below:

Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued
Pyxis Tankers Stock Appears To Be Modestly Overvalued

In short, the stock of Pyxis Tankers (NAS:PXS, 30-year Financials) appears to be modestly overvalued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is poor. Its growth ranks worse than 81% of the companies in Transportation industry. To learn more about Pyxis Tankers stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.