Comparing Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE:NMM) and Seanergy Maritime (NASDAQ:SHIP)

Seanergy Maritime (NASDAQ:SHIP) and Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE:NMM) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Seanergy Maritime has a beta of 1.15, meaning that its stock price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Navios Maritime Partners has a beta of 1.14, meaning that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Seanergy Maritime and Navios Maritime Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Seanergy Maritime	30.68%	21.87%	10.20%
Navios Maritime Partners	36.89%	14.36%	8.18%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Seanergy Maritime and Navios Maritime Partners”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Seanergy Maritime	$194.21 million	1.68	$21.24 million	$2.86	5.45
Navios Maritime Partners	$1.34 billion	1.90	$285.33 million	$19.83	4.50

Navios Maritime Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Seanergy Maritime. Navios Maritime Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Seanergy Maritime, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

29.4% of Seanergy Maritime shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of Navios Maritime Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.7% of Seanergy Maritime shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Seanergy Maritime pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.0%. Navios Maritime Partners pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Seanergy Maritime pays out 49.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Navios Maritime Partners pays out 1.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Seanergy Maritime and Navios Maritime Partners, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Seanergy Maritime	0	1	3	0	2.75
Navios Maritime Partners	0	0	2	0	3.00

Seanergy Maritime currently has a consensus target price of $25.00, indicating a potential upside of 60.46%. Navios Maritime Partners has a consensus target price of $100.00, indicating a potential upside of 12.16%. Given Seanergy Maritime’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Seanergy Maritime is more favorable than Navios Maritime Partners.

About Seanergy Maritime

Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. is an international shipping company focused on the seaborne transportation of dry bulk commodities. It owns and operates a fleet of dry bulk vessels, primarily Capesize ships designed to carry large cargoes over long distances. The company’s vessels transport commodities such as iron ore, coal and grain for customers involved in global trade. Seanergy serves international shipping routes connecting commodity producers with markets around the world. Seanergy is incorporated in the Marshall Islands and has its executive offices in Athens, Greece.

About Navios Maritime Partners

Navios Maritime Partners L.P. is an international shipping company that owns and operates a fleet of dry bulk carriers, containerships and tankers. Its vessels transport commodities and energy products for customers on global trade routes. The company’s dry bulk vessels carry cargoes such as iron ore, coal and grain, while its tankers transport crude oil and refined petroleum products. Its containerships move containerized goods between markets around the world. Formed in 2007, Navios Maritime Partners is led by Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer Angeliki Frangou.