Financial Analysis: Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO) and StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS)

Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO) and StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Okeanis Eco Tankers has a beta of 0.04, meaning that its share price is 96% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, StealthGas has a beta of 0.54, meaning that its share price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Okeanis Eco Tankers and StealthGas”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Okeanis Eco Tankers	$393.23 million	1.73	$145.25 million	$3.38	6.26
StealthGas	$167.26 million	1.10	$51.94 million	$1.90	2.65

Okeanis Eco Tankers has higher revenue and earnings than StealthGas. StealthGas 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.

Profitability

This table compares Okeanis Eco Tankers and StealthGas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Okeanis Eco Tankers	27.68%	25.40%	9.58%
StealthGas	40.87%	11.36%	9.11%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

66.3% of StealthGas shares are owned by institutional investors. 22.1% of StealthGas 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Okeanis Eco Tankers and StealthGas, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Okeanis Eco Tankers	0	0	1	0	3.00
StealthGas	0	0	0	0	0.00

Okeanis Eco Tankers currently has a consensus target price of $40.00, suggesting a potential upside of 89.13%. Given Okeanis Eco Tankers’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Okeanis Eco Tankers is more favorable than StealthGas.

Summary

Okeanis Eco Tankers beats StealthGas on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About StealthGas

StealthGas Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides seaborne transportation services to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) producers and users worldwide. The company's carriers carry various petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer, as well as ammonia; refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel; and edible oils and chemicals. It offers crude oil and natural gas. The company operates a fleet of 33 LPG carries, including six JV vessels. StealthGas Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Athens, Greece.