Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK – Get Free Report) and Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO – Get Free Report) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and earnings.
Dividends
Star Bulk Carriers pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 16.3%. Okeanis Eco Tankers pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.5%. Star Bulk Carriers pays out 81.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Okeanis Eco Tankers pays out 48.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.
Profitability
This table compares Star Bulk Carriers and Okeanis Eco Tankers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Star Bulk Carriers | 24.75% | 14.82% | 8.54% |
| Okeanis Eco Tankers | 29.25% | 27.19% | 10.14% |
Earnings & Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Star Bulk Carriers | $1.22 billion | 1.01 | $173.56 million | $2.96 | 4.96 |
| Okeanis Eco Tankers | $399.71 million | 1.90 | $145.25 million | $3.63 | 6.50 |
Star Bulk Carriers has higher revenue and earnings than Okeanis Eco Tankers. Star Bulk Carriers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Okeanis Eco Tankers, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations for Star Bulk Carriers and Okeanis Eco Tankers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Star Bulk Carriers | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Okeanis Eco Tankers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Star Bulk Carriers presently has a consensus price target of $23.80, indicating a potential upside of 62.13%. Okeanis Eco Tankers has a consensus price target of $40.00, indicating a potential upside of 69.42%. Given Okeanis Eco Tankers’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Okeanis Eco Tankers is more favorable than Star Bulk Carriers.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
33.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Okeanis Eco Tankers beats Star Bulk Carriers on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Star Bulk Carriers
Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a shipping company, engages in the ocean transportation of dry bulk cargoes worldwide. Its vessels transport a range of bulk commodities, including iron ores, minerals and grains, bauxite, fertilizers, and steel products. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned a fleet of 116 dry bulk vessels with combined carrying capacity of 13.1 million deadweight tonnage (dwt) consisting of Newcastlemax, Capesize, Post Panamax, Kamsarmax, Panamax, Ultramax, and Supramax vessels with carrying capacities between 53,489 dwt and 209,537 dwt. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Marousi, Greece.
About Okeanis Eco Tankers
Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp., a shipping company, owns and operates tanker vessels worldwide. It operates a fleet of 14 tanker vessels comprising six modern Suezmax tankers and eight modern VLCC tankers focusing on the transportation of crude oil. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Neo Faliro, Greece.
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