Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) Competitors

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

Do analysts recommend SBLK or GLNG?

Star Bulk Carriers currently has a consensus price target of $22.05, indicating a potential upside of 22.23%. Golar LNG has a consensus price target of $50.88, indicating a potential upside of 22.71%. Given Golar LNG's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Golar LNG is more favorable than Star Bulk Carriers.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Star Bulk Carriers	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Golar LNG	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.29

Which has more volatility & risk, SBLK or GLNG?

Star Bulk Carriers has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Golar LNG has a beta of 0.56, meaning that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is SBLK or GLNG more profitable?

Star Bulk Carriers has a net margin of 18.62% compared to Golar LNG's net margin of 1.04%. Star Bulk Carriers' return on equity of 8.20% beat Golar LNG's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Star Bulk Carriers	18.62%	8.20%	4.92%
Golar LNG	1.04%	6.82%	3.98%

Does the media prefer SBLK or GLNG?

In the previous week, Golar LNG had 11 more articles in the media than Star Bulk Carriers. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Golar LNG and 1 mentions for Star Bulk Carriers. Star Bulk Carriers' average media sentiment score of 1.25 beat Golar LNG's score of 0.29 indicating that Star Bulk Carriers is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Star Bulk Carriers	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Golar LNG	2 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has better valuation & earnings, SBLK or GLNG?

Star Bulk Carriers has higher revenue and earnings than Golar LNG. Star Bulk Carriers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Golar LNG, 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
Star Bulk Carriers	$1.27B	1.68	$304.65M	$1.98	9.11
Golar LNG	$257.92M	16.80	$50.84M	$0.03	1,382.03

Do institutionals and insiders believe in SBLK or GLNG?

33.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.2% of Golar LNG shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Star Bulk Carriers shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Golar LNG shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is SBLK or GLNG a better dividend stock?

Star Bulk Carriers pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Golar LNG pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Star Bulk Carriers pays out 10.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Golar LNG pays out 3,333.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. 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.

Summary

Star Bulk Carriers and Golar LNG tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.