Analyzing Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) and Capital Clean Energy Carriers (NASDAQ:CCEC)

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) and Capital Clean Energy Carriers (NASDAQ:CCEC) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Navigator and Capital Clean Energy Carriers, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Navigator	0	0	5	0	3.00
Capital Clean Energy Carriers	0	0	2	1	3.33

Navigator currently has a consensus target price of $21.60, indicating a potential upside of 31.59%. Capital Clean Energy Carriers has a consensus target price of $24.00, indicating a potential upside of 31.15%. Given Navigator’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Navigator is more favorable than Capital Clean Energy Carriers.

Dividends

Navigator pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Capital Clean Energy Carriers pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Navigator pays out 17.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Capital Clean Energy Carriers pays out 23.4% 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.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

19.0% of Navigator shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Navigator shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Navigator has a beta of 1.45, suggesting that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Capital Clean Energy Carriers has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Navigator and Capital Clean Energy Carriers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Navigator	14.48%	7.40%	4.23%
Capital Clean Energy Carriers	46.85%	9.99%	3.22%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Navigator and Capital Clean Energy Carriers”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Navigator	$564.28 million	2.13	$82.25 million	$1.13	14.53
Capital Clean Energy Carriers	$369.41 million	2.89	$47.21 million	$2.56	7.15

Navigator has higher revenue and earnings than Capital Clean Energy Carriers. Capital Clean Energy Carriers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Navigator, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Navigator beats Capital Clean Energy Carriers on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services. It operates a fleet of 56 semi- or fully-refrigerated liquefied gas carriers. The company was formerly known as Isle of Man public limited company and changed its name to Navigator Holdings Ltd. in 2006. Navigator Holdings Ltd. was incorporated in 1997 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

About Capital Clean Energy Carriers

Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp., a shipping company, provides marine transportation services in Greece. The company’s vessels provide a range of cargoes, including liquefied natural gas, containerized goods, and cargo under short-term voyage charters, and medium to long-term time charters. It owns vessels, including Neo-Panamax container vessels, Panamax container vessels, cape-size bulk carrier, and LNG carriers. In addition, the company produces and distributes oil and natural gas, including biofuels, motor oil, lubricants, petrol, crudes, liquefied natural gas, marine fuels, natural gas liquids, and petrochemicals. It serves as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Capital Product Partners L.P. and changed its name to Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp. in August 2024. Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Piraeus, Greece. Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp. operates as a subsidiary of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp.