Costamare (NYSE:CMRE) and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) Critical Review

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) and Costamare (NYSE:CMRE) are both transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Costamare’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Costamare	19.11%	14.28%	6.74%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

58.1% of Costamare shares are owned by institutional investors. 23.2% of Costamare shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Costamare, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	0	0	0	0	0.00
Costamare	0	2	0	0	2.00

Costamare has a consensus target price of $13.50, indicating a potential upside of 2.27%. Given Costamare’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Costamare is more favorable than Ultrapetrol (Bahamas).

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Costamare”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Costamare	$2.03 billion	0.76	$385.75 million	$3.01	4.39

Costamare has higher revenue and earnings than Ultrapetrol (Bahamas).

Summary

Costamare beats Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited, an industrial shipping company, provides marine transportation services in South America, Europe, Central America, North America, and Asia. The company operates in three segments: River Business, Offshore Supply Business, and Ocean Business. The River Business segment owns and operates dry and tanker barges, and push boats in the Hidrovia region of South America. Its dry barges transport agricultural and forestry products, iron ore, and other cargoes; and tanker barges carry petroleum products, vegetable oils, and other liquids. As of December 31, 2015, this segment had 681 barges with approximately 1.3 million dwt capacity; and 34 push boats. The Offshore Supply Business segment owns and operates vessels that provide logistical and transportation services for offshore petroleum exploration and production companies. It transports supplies, such as containerized equipment, drill casings, pipes, and heavy loads; fuel, water, drilling fluids, and bulk cement; and various other supplies to drilling rigs and platforms. This segment's fleet consisted of 13 platform supply vessels and 1 remotely operated vehicle. The Ocean Business segment owns and operates oceangoing vessels, which transports petroleum products, as well as a container line service in the Argentine cabotage trade. The company serves petroleum, agricultural, and mining companies. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Nassau, the Bahamas. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited is a subsidiary of Sparrow Capital Investments Ltd.

About Costamare

Costamare Inc. owns and operates containerships and dry bulk vessels that are chartered to liner companies providing transportation of cargoes worldwide. As of March 19, 2024, it had a fleet of fleet of 68 containerships and 37 dry bulk vessels. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Monaco.