Head to Head Review: Viking (NYSE:VIK) versus Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ:OMEX)

Viking (NYSE:VIK) and Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ:OMEX) are both transportation companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Viking and Odyssey Marine Exploration”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viking	$4.71 billion	4.25	-$1.86 billion	N/A	N/A
Odyssey Marine Exploration	$800,000.00	10.26	$5.35 million	N/A	N/A

Odyssey Marine Exploration has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Viking.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

50.0% of Odyssey Marine Exploration shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.1% of Odyssey Marine Exploration shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viking	-10.97%	N/A	-1.53%
Odyssey Marine Exploration	1,556.13%	-11.51%	43.76%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Viking and Odyssey Marine Exploration, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viking	0	2	10	0	2.83
Odyssey Marine Exploration	0	0	0	0	0.00

Viking presently has a consensus target price of $41.00, indicating a potential downside of 11.73%. Given Viking’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Viking is more favorable than Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Summary

Odyssey Marine Exploration beats Viking on 6 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 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.