Critical Comparison: Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP) vs. A.P. Moller-Maersk (OTCMKTS:AMKBY)

A.P. Moller-Maersk (OTCMKTS:AMKBY) and Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares A.P. Moller-Maersk and Imperial Petroleum”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
A.P. Moller-Maersk	$55.48 billion	0.67	$6.11 billion	$1.57	7.46
Imperial Petroleum	$147.48 million	0.93	$50.16 million	$1.04	3.63

A.P. Moller-Maersk has higher revenue and earnings than Imperial Petroleum. Imperial Petroleum is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than A.P. Moller-Maersk, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares A.P. Moller-Maersk and Imperial Petroleum’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
A.P. Moller-Maersk	8.83%	8.51%	5.55%
Imperial Petroleum	28.61%	13.60%	8.08%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for A.P. Moller-Maersk and Imperial Petroleum, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
A.P. Moller-Maersk	5	2	0	1	1.63
Imperial Petroleum	0	1	1	0	2.50

Imperial Petroleum has a consensus target price of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 59.15%. Given Imperial Petroleum’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Imperial Petroleum is more favorable than A.P. Moller-Maersk.

Volatility & Risk

A.P. Moller-Maersk has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Imperial Petroleum has a beta of 1.29, suggesting that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

94.4% of Imperial Petroleum shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Imperial Petroleum shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Imperial Petroleum beats A.P. Moller-Maersk on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About A.P. Moller-Maersk

A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ocean transport and logistics business in Denmark and internationally. It operates through Ocean, Logistics & Services, Terminals, and Towage & Maritime Services segments. The Ocean segment is involved in container shipping activities, including demurrage and detention, terminal handling, documentation and container services, and container storage, as well as transshipment hubs. The Logistics & Services segment offers integrated transportation solutions; fulfillment and management solutions, such as landside and air transportation; warehousing, distribution, and depot services; and supply chain management, cold chain logistics, and custom brokerage services. The Terminals segment engages in gateway terminal activities. The Towage & Maritime Services segment provides offshore towage and marine services under the Svitzer brand; reefer containers; offshore supply services; trading; and marine services and integrated solutions to the energy sector. It also offers digital solutions that offer booking, managing, tracking of shipments, and other related activities. The company serves fashion and lifestyle, retail, automotive, chemicals, technology, and FMCG industries. A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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, crude oils, iron ore, coal and grains, and minor bulks, such as bauxite, phosphate, and fertilizers. As of April 1, 2024, the company owned and operated a fleet of six medium range refined petroleum product tankers; one Aframax tanker; two suezmax tankers; and two handysize drybulk carriers with a total capacity of 791,000 deadweight tons. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Athens, Greece.