Head to Head Comparison: Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) versus United Maritime (NASDAQ:USEA)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) and United Maritime (NASDAQ:USEA) are both transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and United Maritime”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
United Maritime	$37.78 million	0.64	-$6.19 million	($0.20)	-12.75

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has higher earnings, but lower revenue than United Maritime.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

1.6% of United Maritime shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

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

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	0	0	0	0	0.00
United Maritime	1	0	0	0	1.00

Given Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) is more favorable than United Maritime.

Volatility & Risk

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has a beta of -0.79, indicating that its share price is 179% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United Maritime has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and United Maritime’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
United Maritime	-4.90%	0.18%	0.07%

Summary

United Maritime beats Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) on 6 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 United Maritime

United Maritime Corporation, a shipping company, offers seaborne transportation services worldwide. It operates a fleet of eight dry bulk vessels comprising three Panamax, three Capesize, and two Kamsarmax vessels with an aggregate cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 922,054 dwt. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is based in Glyfada, Greece.