Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP – Get Rating) and Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX – Get Rating) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and earnings.
Volatility & Risk
Imperial Petroleum has a beta of 1.15, suggesting that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Diana Shipping has a beta of 1.15, suggesting that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Diana Shipping’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Imperial Petroleum | $97.02 million | 0.40 | $29.51 million | $0.14 | 1.42 |
| Diana Shipping | $289.97 million | 1.43 | $119.06 million | $1.37 | 2.94 |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
3.0% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.5% of Diana Shipping shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Diana Shipping’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Imperial Petroleum | 30.42% | 39.22% | 9.88% |
| Diana Shipping | 41.06% | 27.37% | 12.13% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Imperial Petroleum and Diana Shipping, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Imperial Petroleum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Diana Shipping | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
Diana Shipping has a consensus price target of $5.50, suggesting a potential upside of 36.48%. Given Diana Shipping’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Diana Shipping is more favorable than Imperial Petroleum.
Summary
Diana Shipping beats Imperial Petroleum on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Imperial Petroleum
Imperial Petroleum Inc. provides international seaborne transportation services to oil producers, refineries, and commodities traders. It carries refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals; and crude oils. As of March 29, 2022, the company owned four medium range refined petroleum product tankers and one Aframax crude oil tanker with a total capacity of 305,804 deadweight tons. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Athens, Greece.
About Diana Shipping
Diana Shipping, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the provision of shipping transportation services through the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels. Its vessels are being employed primarily on medium to long-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain, and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. The company was founded on March 8, 1999 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
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