Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) Competitors

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) and Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK) are related mid-cap companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation and dividends.

Is GLNG or SBLK a better dividend stock?

Golar LNG pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Star Bulk Carriers pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Golar LNG pays out -1,428.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Star Bulk Carriers pays out 19.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Golar LNG has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Golar LNG is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, GLNG or SBLK?

Golar LNG has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Star Bulk Carriers has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate GLNG or SBLK?

Golar LNG currently has a consensus price target of $49.17, indicating a potential upside of 20.89%. Star Bulk Carriers has a consensus price target of $21.07, indicating a potential upside of 9.67%. Given Golar LNG's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Golar LNG is more favorable than Star Bulk Carriers.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Golar LNG	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
Star Bulk Carriers	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, GLNG or SBLK?

Star Bulk Carriers has higher revenue and earnings than Golar LNG. Golar LNG is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Star Bulk Carriers, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Golar LNG	$260.37M	16.33	$50.84M	-$0.07	-581.00
Star Bulk Carriers	$1.27B	1.79	$304.65M	$1.05	18.30

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of GLNG or SBLK?

92.2% of Golar LNG shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Golar LNG shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares 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.

Does the media favor GLNG or SBLK?

In the previous week, Golar LNG had 5 more articles in the media than Star Bulk Carriers. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Golar LNG and 9 mentions for Star Bulk Carriers. Star Bulk Carriers' average media sentiment score of 1.61 beat Golar LNG's score of 0.99 indicating that Star Bulk Carriers is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Golar LNG	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Star Bulk Carriers	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Is GLNG or SBLK more profitable?

Star Bulk Carriers has a net margin of 10.98% compared to Golar LNG's net margin of -2.83%. Golar LNG's return on equity of 6.36% beat Star Bulk Carriers' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Golar LNG	-2.83%	6.36%	3.44%
Star Bulk Carriers	10.98%	4.97%	3.03%

Summary

Golar LNG beats Star Bulk Carriers on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.