Head-To-Head Analysis: CBL International (NASDAQ:BANL) versus Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH)

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) and CBL International (NASDAQ:BANL) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Universal Logistics and CBL International, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Universal Logistics	1	2	0	0	1.67
CBL International	1	0	0	0	1.00

Universal Logistics presently has a consensus price target of $24.00, indicating a potential upside of 49.63%. Given Universal Logistics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Universal Logistics is more favorable than CBL International.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Universal Logistics and CBL International”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Universal Logistics	$1.67 billion	0.25	$129.91 million	$2.33	6.88
CBL International	$592.52 million	0.02	-$3.87 million	N/A	N/A

Universal Logistics has higher revenue and earnings than CBL International.

Profitability

This table compares Universal Logistics and CBL International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Universal Logistics	3.66%	9.47%	3.49%
CBL International	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

25.5% of Universal Logistics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of CBL International shares are owned by institutional investors. 73.6% of Universal Logistics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Universal Logistics has a beta of 0.93, indicating that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CBL International has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Universal Logistics beats CBL International on 11 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services. It transports various commodities comprising automotive parts, machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, furniture, steel, and other metals. The company also provides value-added services for individual customer requirements, including material handling, consolidation, sequencing, sub-assembly, cross-dock, kitting, repacking, warehousing, and returnable container management; and intermodal support services comprising short-to-medium distance delivery of steamship and rail truck containers between the port or railhead, and the customer. It serves automotive, steel, and other metals, retail and consumer goods, energy, and manufacturing industries, as well as other transportation companies who aggregate loads from various shippers. The company was formerly known as Universal Truckload Services, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. in April 2016. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Warren, Michigan.

About CBL International

CBL International Limited, a marine fuel logistics company, provides vessel refueling solutions in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Singapore, and internationally. It facilitates vessel refueling between ship operators and local physical distributors/traders by purchasing marine fuel, including both fossil fuel and alternative fuel. The company’s services to its customers include vessel refueling options available at ports; arranges vessel refueling activities and local physical delivery of marine fuel; and coordinates vessel refueling schedule. It also offers trade credit; handles unforeseeable circumstances and provides contingency solutions; fulfills special requests related to vessel refueling; and handles disputes relates to quality and quantity issues on marine fuel. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. CBL International Limited operates as a subsidiary of CBL (Asia) Limited.