Analyzing Viking (NYSE:VIK) and United Maritime (NASDAQ:USEA)

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

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Viking and United Maritime”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viking	$4.93 billion	4.01	-$1.86 billion	N/A	N/A
United Maritime	$46.28 million	0.40	$220,000.00	$0.75	2.80

United Maritime has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Viking.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

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

Profitability

This table compares Viking and United Maritime’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viking	N/A	N/A	N/A
United Maritime	15.63%	11.26%	4.21%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Viking and United Maritime, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viking	0	2	10	0	2.83
United Maritime	0	0	0	1	4.00

Viking currently has a consensus price target of $38.67, indicating a potential downside of 15.67%. United Maritime has a consensus price target of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 185.71%. Given United Maritime’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe United Maritime is more favorable than Viking.

Summary

United Maritime beats Viking on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Viking

Viking Holdings Ltd engages in the passenger shipping and other forms of passenger transport in North America, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through River and Ocean segments. The company also operates as a tour entrepreneur for passengers and related activities in tourism. As of December 31, 2023, it operated a fleet of 92 ships, including 81 river vessels comprising 58 Longships, 10 smaller classes based on the Longship design, 11 other river vessels, and 1 river vessel charter and the Viking Mississippi; 9 ocean ships; and 2 expedition ships. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda.

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.