ShaMaran Petroleum Corp. (CVE:SNM) Could Be Riskier Than It Looks

You may think that with a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.8x ShaMaran Petroleum Corp. (CVE:SNM) is a stock worth checking out, seeing as almost half of all the Oil and Gas companies in Canada have P/S ratios greater than 1.9x and even P/S higher than 6x aren't out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/S.

View our latest analysis for ShaMaran Petroleum

What Does ShaMaran Petroleum's Recent Performance Look Like?

ShaMaran Petroleum hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. Perhaps the P/S remains low as investors think the prospects of strong revenue growth aren't on the horizon. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on ShaMaran Petroleum.

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

ShaMaran Petroleum's P/S ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the industry.

In reviewing the last year of financials, we were disheartened to see the company's revenues fell to the tune of 23%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow revenue by an impressive 73% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing revenue over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Looking ahead now, revenue is anticipated to climb by 118% during the coming year according to the lone analyst following the company. With the industry only predicted to deliver 12%, the company is positioned for a stronger revenue result.

With this information, we find it odd that ShaMaran Petroleum is trading at a P/S lower than the industry. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

The Key Takeaway

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.

A look at ShaMaran Petroleum's revenues reveals that, despite glowing future growth forecasts, its P/S is much lower than we'd expect. The reason for this depressed P/S could potentially be found in the risks the market is pricing in. While the possibility of the share price plunging seems unlikely due to the high growth forecasted for the company, the market does appear to have some hesitation.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for ShaMaran Petroleum (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.