Comparing Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ:OMEX) & Icon Energy (NASDAQ:ICON)

Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ:OMEX) and Icon Energy (NASDAQ:ICON) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

50.0% of Odyssey Marine Exploration shares are held by institutional investors. 8.0% of Odyssey Marine Exploration shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.7% of Icon Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Odyssey Marine Exploration and Icon Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Odyssey Marine Exploration	-18,586.78%	N/A	-283.21%
Icon Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Odyssey Marine Exploration and Icon Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Odyssey Marine Exploration	1	0	0	0	1.00
Icon Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00

Risk & Volatility

Odyssey Marine Exploration has a beta of -0.24, meaning that its share price is 124% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Icon Energy has a beta of 5.75, meaning that its share price is 475% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Odyssey Marine Exploration and Icon Energy”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Odyssey Marine Exploration	$350,000.00	184.08	-$43.08 million	($1.17)	-0.94
Icon Energy	$11.26 million	0.07	-$4.20 million	($23.65)	-0.05

Icon Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey Marine Exploration is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Icon Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Icon Energy beats Odyssey Marine Exploration on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Odyssey Marine Exploration

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, discovers, validates, and develops seafloor mineral resources worldwide. The company provides specialized mineral exploration, project development, and marine services to clients. Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

About Icon Energy

Iconix Brand Group, Inc. is a brand management company. As of December 31, 2016, the Company owned a portfolio of over 30 global consumer brands across women’s, men’s, and home categories. The Company operates through segments: men’s, women’s, home and international. The Company’s brand portfolio includes brands, such as Candie’s, Bongo, Joe Boxer, Rampage, Mudd, London Fog, Mossimo, Ocean Pacific/OP, Danskin/Danskin Now, Rocawear/Roc Nation, Cannon, Royal Velvet, Fieldcrest, Charisma, Starter, Waverly, Ecko Unltd/Mark Ecko Cut & Sew, Zoo York, Umbro, Lee Cooper and Artful Dodger, and interests in Material Girl, Ed Hardy, Truth or Dare, Modern Amusement, Buffalo, Nick Graham Hydraulic and PONY brands. It operates in various geographic regions, including the United States, Japan and Other (which principally represent Latin America and Europe).