Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP – Get Rating) and Castor Maritime (NASDAQ:CTRM – Get Rating) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Castor Maritime’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Imperial Petroleum | 41.33% | 71.24% | 18.92% |
| Castor Maritime | 47.17% | 22.53% | 16.50% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Imperial Petroleum and Castor Maritime, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Imperial Petroleum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Castor Maritime | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
3.0% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.4% of Castor Maritime shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Castor Maritime’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Imperial Petroleum | $97.02 million | 0.54 | $29.51 million | $4.56 | 0.89 |
| Castor Maritime | $262.10 million | 0.15 | $118.56 million | $1.15 | 0.37 |
Castor Maritime has higher revenue and earnings than Imperial Petroleum. Castor Maritime is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Imperial Petroleum, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Imperial Petroleum has a beta of 1.19, meaning that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Castor Maritime has a beta of 0.86, meaning that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Imperial Petroleum beats Castor Maritime on 8 of the 11 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 Castor Maritime
Castor Maritime Inc. provides shipping services worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Dry Bulk Vessels, Aframax/LR2 Tanker, Handysize Tanker Vessels, and Containerships. It offers seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargo; commodities, such as iron ore, coal, soybeans, etc.; and crude oil and refined petroleum products. As of March 08, 2023, the company owned and operated a fleet of 22 vessels primarily consisting of one Capesize, seven Kamsarmax, two Handysize tanker vessels, five Aframax/LR2 tanker vessels, and 12 dry bulk vessels, as well as 22,700 TEU containership vessels. Castor Maritime Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Limassol, Cyprus.
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