Clarkson (OTCMKTS:CKNHF – Get Free Report) and Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK – Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, risk and valuation.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
31.2% of Clarkson shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 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 will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings for Clarkson and Star Bulk Carriers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Clarkson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Star Bulk Carriers | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.75 |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Clarkson and Star Bulk Carriers”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Clarkson | N/A | N/A | N/A | $1.00 | 67.77 |
| Star Bulk Carriers | $1.04 billion | 3.16 | $84.17 million | $2.55 | 11.39 |
Star Bulk Carriers has higher revenue and earnings than Clarkson. Star Bulk Carriers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Clarkson, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Dividends
Clarkson pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Star Bulk Carriers pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.9%. Clarkson pays out 56.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Star Bulk Carriers pays out 78.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.
Profitability
This table compares Clarkson and Star Bulk Carriers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Clarkson | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Star Bulk Carriers | 23.87% | 11.72% | 7.61% |
Summary
Star Bulk Carriers beats Clarkson on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Clarkson
Clarkson PLC provides integrated shipping services worldwide. The company's Broking segment offers services to shipowners and charterers in the transportation of various cargoes by sea; and to buyers and sellers/yards related to sale and purchase transactions, as well as futures broking operation. Its Financial segment provides investment banking services for maritime, oil services, and natural resources sectors; structured asset finance services and projects in the shipping, offshore, and real estate sectors; and project finance and bespoke asset finance solutions. The company's Support segment offers port and agency, project logistics, vessel chartering, freight forwarding, customs clearance, stevedoring, shortsea broking, warehousing, crew travel, and industrial supplies for the marine and offshore industries. Its Research segment provides shipping-related information and publications. This segment also offers digital products, including Shipping Intelligence Network, World Fleet Register, Renewables Intelligence Network, Offshore Intelligence Network, and Sea/net; data, intelligence, and analysis services around shipping, trade, offshore, and maritime energy transition; and valuation services. It is involved in the provision of real estate and alternative investment funds, as well as management services; real estate project management, shipping and offshore project syndication, and property-related services; and advice on finance structuring for shipping-related projects. The company also provides research and corporate finance services, including equity and debt capital markets and M&A transactions; brokerage of shipping-related derivative financial instruments; supply of MRO, PPE, and safety equipment; accounting and financial advisory services; property management services; and equity and fixed income sales and trading services, as well as LPG swaps brokerage services. Clarkson PLC was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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.
Receive News & Ratings for Clarkson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Clarkson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
