Comparing Intercont (Cayman) (NASDAQ:NCT) & Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP)

Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP) and Intercont (Cayman) (NASDAQ:NCT) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, risk, earnings and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Imperial Petroleum and Intercont (Cayman), as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Imperial Petroleum	0	1	1	0	2.50
Intercont (Cayman)	1	0	0	0	1.00

Imperial Petroleum currently has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 65.29%. Given Imperial Petroleum’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Imperial Petroleum is more favorable than Intercont (Cayman).

Profitability

This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Intercont (Cayman)’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Imperial Petroleum	28.61%	13.60%	8.08%
Intercont (Cayman)	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.4% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Imperial Petroleum shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Imperial Petroleum and Intercont (Cayman)”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Imperial Petroleum	$147.48 million	0.89	$50.16 million	$1.04	3.49
Intercont (Cayman)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Imperial Petroleum has higher revenue and earnings than Intercont (Cayman).

Summary

Imperial Petroleum beats Intercont (Cayman) on 9 of the 9 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, 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.

About Intercont (Cayman)

Intercont (Cayman) Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of global maritime shipping services through its subsidiaries. Its services include time chartering and vessel management. The company was founded on July 4, 2023 and is headquartered in Hong Kong.