Head to Head Survey: C3is (NASDAQ:CISS) versus Tsakos Energy Navigation (NYSE:TEN)

Tsakos Energy Navigation (NYSE:TEN) and C3is (NASDAQ:CISS) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and dividends.

Risk & Volatility

Tsakos Energy Navigation has a beta of -0.27, indicating that its share price is 127% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, C3is has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

19.2% of Tsakos Energy Navigation shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.5% of C3is shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Tsakos Energy Navigation shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Tsakos Energy Navigation and C3is’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Tsakos Energy Navigation	24.81%	17.44%	8.20%
C3is	15.28%	6.78%	6.16%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Tsakos Energy Navigation and C3is, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Tsakos Energy Navigation	0	3	1	0	2.25
C3is	1	0	0	0	1.00

Tsakos Energy Navigation presently has a consensus target price of $29.50, indicating a potential downside of 29.83%. Given Tsakos Energy Navigation’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Tsakos Energy Navigation is more favorable than C3is.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Tsakos Energy Navigation and C3is”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Tsakos Energy Navigation	$798.69 million	1.59	$160.90 million	$6.14	6.85
C3is	$37.66 million	0.03	$10.47 million	($1,128.22)	0.00

Tsakos Energy Navigation has higher revenue and earnings than C3is. C3is is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Tsakos Energy Navigation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Tsakos Energy Navigation beats C3is on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tsakos Energy Navigation

Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd. engages in the provision of seaborne crude oil and petroleum product transportation services. Its activities include the operation of crude tankers, product tankers, and liquefied natural gas carriers. The company was founded by Nikolas P. Tsakos and Michael Gordon Jolliffee in July 1993 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

About C3is

C3is Inc. offers international seaborne transportation services. It provides its services to dry bulk charterers, including national and private industrial users, commodity producers and traders, oil producers, refineries, and commodities traders and producers. The company owns and operates a fleet of two drybulk carriers, which transport major bulks, such as iron ore, coal and grains, as well as minor bulks comprising bauxite, phosphate, and fertilizers, and one Aframax crude oil tanker that transports crude oil. C3is Inc. was founded in 2021 and is based in Athens, Greece.