Critical Survey: Clarkson (CKNHF) versus Its Peers

Clarkson (OTCMKTS:CKNHF) is one of 80 publicly-traded companies in the “Marine Transportation” industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Clarkson to related companies based on the strength of its profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

31.2% of Clarkson shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 30.9% of shares of all “Marine Transportation” companies are held by institutional investors. 27.8% of shares of all “Marine Transportation” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Clarkson and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Clarkson	N/A	N/A	N/A
Clarkson Competitors	27.80%	11.50%	5.72%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Clarkson and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Clarkson	N/A	N/A	67.29
Clarkson Competitors	$3.66 billion	$334.44 million	14.73

Clarkson’s rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Clarkson. Clarkson is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Clarkson pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Clarkson pays out 56.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Marine Transportation” companies pay a dividend yield of 4.5% and pay out 27.0% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Clarkson lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for Clarkson and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Clarkson	0	0	1	0	3.00
Clarkson Competitors	429	1600	1606	72	2.36

As a group, “Marine Transportation” companies have a potential upside of 7.59%. Given Clarkson’s rivals higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Clarkson has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Summary

Clarkson rivals beat Clarkson on 9 of the 13 factors compared.

About Clarkson

Clarkson PLC provides integrated shipping services worldwide. The company's Broking segment offers services to shipowners and charterers in the transportation of various cargoes by sea; and to buyers and sellers/yards related to sale and purchase transactions, as well as futures broking operation. Its Financial segment provides investment banking services for maritime, oil services, and natural resources sectors; structured asset finance services and projects in the shipping, offshore, and real estate sectors; and project finance and bespoke asset finance solutions. The company's Support segment offers port and agency, project logistics, vessel chartering, freight forwarding, customs clearance, stevedoring, shortsea broking, warehousing, crew travel, and industrial supplies for the marine and offshore industries. Its Research segment provides shipping-related information and publications. This segment also offers digital products, including Shipping Intelligence Network, World Fleet Register, Renewables Intelligence Network, Offshore Intelligence Network, and Sea/net; data, intelligence, and analysis services around shipping, trade, offshore, and maritime energy transition; and valuation services. It is involved in the provision of real estate and alternative investment funds, as well as management services; real estate project management, shipping and offshore project syndication, and property-related services; and advice on finance structuring for shipping-related projects. The company also provides research and corporate finance services, including equity and debt capital markets and M&A transactions; brokerage of shipping-related derivative financial instruments; supply of MRO, PPE, and safety equipment; accounting and financial advisory services; property management services; and equity and fixed income sales and trading services, as well as LPG swaps brokerage services. Clarkson PLC was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.