Critical Comparison: Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) & C3is (NASDAQ:CISS)

C3is (NASDAQ:CISS) and Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares C3is and Geopark’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
C3is	41.33%	14.94%	13.24%
Geopark	16.00%	31.33%	7.66%

Volatility & Risk

C3is has a beta of 1.41, suggesting that its share price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Geopark has a beta of 0.41, suggesting that its share price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for C3is and Geopark, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
C3is	1	0	0	0	1.00
Geopark	0	2	1	0	2.33

Geopark has a consensus price target of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.09%. Given Geopark’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Geopark is more favorable than C3is.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

10.5% of C3is shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.2% of Geopark shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares C3is and Geopark”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
C3is	$34.76 million	0.05	$10.47 million	$4,138.37	0.00
Geopark	$492.52 million	1.14	$49.67 million	$1.47	7.41

Geopark has higher revenue and earnings than C3is. C3is is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Geopark, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Geopark beats C3is on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About C3is

C3is Inc. offers international seaborne transportation services. It provides its services to dry bulk charterers, including national and private industrial users, commodity producers and traders, oil producers, refineries, and commodities traders and producers. The company owns and operates a fleet of two drybulk carriers, which transport major bulks, such as iron ore, coal and grains, as well as minor bulks comprising bauxite, phosphate, and fertilizers, and one Aframax crude oil tanker that transports crude oil. C3is Inc. was founded in 2021 and is based in Athens, Greece.

About Geopark

GeoPark Limited operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company primarily in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries. It engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves. The company was formerly known as GeoPark Holdings Limited and changed its name to GeoPark Limited in July 2013. GeoPark Limited was founded in 2002 and is based in Bogotá, Colombia.