Critical Comparison: International Seaways (NYSE:INSW) vs. Viking (NYSE:VIK)

Viking (NYSE:VIK) and International Seaways (NYSE:INSW) are both transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Viking and International Seaways”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viking	$4.93 billion	3.50	-$1.86 billion	N/A	N/A
International Seaways	$1.07 billion	2.00	$556.45 million	$10.50	4.11

International Seaways has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Viking.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Viking and International Seaways, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viking	0	3	9	0	2.75
International Seaways	0	1	2	1	3.00

Viking currently has a consensus target price of $37.50, suggesting a potential downside of 6.18%. International Seaways has a consensus target price of $62.67, suggesting a potential upside of 45.10%. Given International Seaways’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe International Seaways is more favorable than Viking.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

67.3% of International Seaways shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of International Seaways shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Viking and International Seaways’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viking	N/A	N/A	N/A
International Seaways	50.70%	26.55%	18.16%

Summary

International Seaways beats Viking on 9 of the 12 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 International Seaways

International Seaways, Inc. owns and operates a fleet of oceangoing vessels for the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products in the international flag trade. It operates in two segments: Crude Tankers and Product Carriers. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned a fleet of 73 vessels. It serves independent and state-owned oil companies, oil traders, refinery operators, and international government entities. The company was formerly known as OSG International, Inc. and changed its name to International Seaways, Inc. in October 2016. International Seaways, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in New York, New York.