Analyzing StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS) and COSCO SHIPPING (OTCMKTS:CICOY)

COSCO SHIPPING (OTCMKTS:CICOY) and StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

66.3% of StealthGas shares are held by institutional investors. 22.1% of StealthGas shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares COSCO SHIPPING and StealthGas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
COSCO SHIPPING	N/A	N/A	N/A
StealthGas	35.02%	9.62%	8.75%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares COSCO SHIPPING and StealthGas”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
COSCO SHIPPING	$32.53 billion	0.86	$6.84 billion	N/A	N/A
StealthGas	$167.26 million	1.56	$69.86 million	$1.68	4.17

COSCO SHIPPING has higher revenue and earnings than StealthGas.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for COSCO SHIPPING and StealthGas, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
COSCO SHIPPING	2	2	0	0	1.50
StealthGas	0	0	1	0	3.00

Volatility & Risk

COSCO SHIPPING has a beta of 1.14, suggesting that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, StealthGas has a beta of 0.22, suggesting that its stock price is 78% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

StealthGas beats COSCO SHIPPING on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About COSCO SHIPPING

COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the container shipping, managing and operating container terminals, and other terminal related businesses in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Mainland China, and internationally. It operates through Container Shipping Business and Terminal Business segments. The company offers freight forwarding and transportation, vessel chartering, container transportation, marine, vessel management and manning, cargo and liner agency, logistics, document, shipping agency and other sea transport, container stack, cargo storage, and cargo transportation services. It is also involved in the design and manufacture of computer software, as well as provision of technology services and solutions; asset management business; and operation of terminals. The company was formerly known as China COSCO Holdings Company Limited and changed its name to COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co., Ltd. in November 2016. COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co., Ltd. was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China.

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.