Head-To-Head Contrast: Golden Ocean Group (NASDAQ:GOGL) and Viking (NYSE:VIK)

Viking (NYSE:VIK) and Golden Ocean Group (NASDAQ:GOGL) are both transportation companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Viking and Golden Ocean Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viking	N/A	N/A	N/A
Golden Ocean Group	22.01%	10.57%	5.79%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Viking and Golden Ocean Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viking	$4.71 billion	3.16	-$1.86 billion	N/A	N/A
Golden Ocean Group	$885.77 million	2.97	$112.27 million	$0.93	14.15

Golden Ocean Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Viking.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

22.0% of Golden Ocean Group shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Viking and Golden Ocean Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viking	0	3	9	0	2.75
Golden Ocean Group	0	2	0	0	2.00

Viking currently has a consensus target price of $37.17, suggesting a potential upside of 7.73%. Golden Ocean Group has a consensus target price of $14.50, suggesting a potential upside of 10.18%. Given Golden Ocean Group’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Golden Ocean Group is more favorable than Viking.

Summary

Golden Ocean Group beats Viking on 6 of the 10 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 Golden Ocean Group

Golden Ocean Group Limited, a shipping company, owns and operates a fleet of dry bulk vessels worldwide. The company’s dry bulk vessels comprise Newcastlemax, Capesize, and Panamax vessels operating in the spot and time charter markets. It also transports a range of bulk commodities, including ores, coal, grains, and fertilizers. As of March 20, 2024, the company owned a fleet of 83 dry bulk vessels. Golden Ocean Group Limited is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.