Head-To-Head Review: Martin Midstream Partners (NASDAQ:MMLP) and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF)

Martin Midstream Partners (NASDAQ:MMLP) and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Martin Midstream Partners and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Martin Midstream Partners	-2.88%	N/A	-3.93%
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

Martin Midstream Partners has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has a beta of -0.79, suggesting that its stock price is 179% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

34.9% of Martin Midstream Partners shares are held by institutional investors. 17.0% of Martin Midstream Partners shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Martin Midstream Partners and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Martin Midstream Partners	$716.11 million	0.14	-$14.74 million	($0.51)	-5.20
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Martin Midstream Partners.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Martin Midstream Partners and Ultrapetrol (Bahamas), as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Martin Midstream Partners	1	1	0	0	1.50
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	0	0	0	0	0.00

Martin Midstream Partners presently has a consensus price target of $3.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.21%. Given Martin Midstream Partners’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Martin Midstream Partners is more favorable than Ultrapetrol (Bahamas).

Summary

Martin Midstream Partners beats Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Martin Midstream Partners

Martin Midstream Partners L.P., together with its subsidiaries, provides terminalling, processing, storage, and packaging services for petroleum products and by-products primarily in the United States. The company operates in four segments: Terminalling and Storage, Transportation, Sulfur Services, and Specialty Products. The company's Terminalling and Storage segment owns or operates various marine shore-based terminal facilities and specialty terminal facilities that provide storage, refining, blending, packaging, and handling services for producers and suppliers of petroleum products and by-products. This segment also offers land rental services to oil and gas companies, as well as storage and handling services for lubricants and fuels. Its Transportation segment operates various trucks and tank trailers; and inland marine tank barges, inland push boats, and articulated offshore tug and barge unit to transport petroleum products and by-products, petrochemicals, and chemicals. The company's Sulfur Services segment processes molten sulfur into prilled or pelletized sulfur, which is used in the production of fertilizers and industrial chemicals. Its Specialty Products segment stores, distributes, and transports natural gas liquids for wholesale deliveries to refineries, industrial natural gas liquid users, and propane retailers. Martin Midstream GP LLC serves as a general partner of the company. Martin Midstream Partners L.P. was incorporated in 2002 and is based in Kilgore, Texas.

About Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited, an industrial shipping company, provides marine transportation services in South America, Europe, Central America, North America, and Asia. The company operates in three segments: River Business, Offshore Supply Business, and Ocean Business. The River Business segment owns and operates dry and tanker barges, and push boats in the Hidrovia region of South America. Its dry barges transport agricultural and forestry products, iron ore, and other cargoes; and tanker barges carry petroleum products, vegetable oils, and other liquids. As of December 31, 2015, this segment had 681 barges with approximately 1.3 million dwt capacity; and 34 push boats. The Offshore Supply Business segment owns and operates vessels that provide logistical and transportation services for offshore petroleum exploration and production companies. It transports supplies, such as containerized equipment, drill casings, pipes, and heavy loads; fuel, water, drilling fluids, and bulk cement; and various other supplies to drilling rigs and platforms. This segment's fleet consisted of 13 platform supply vessels and 1 remotely operated vehicle. The Ocean Business segment owns and operates oceangoing vessels, which transports petroleum products, as well as a container line service in the Argentine cabotage trade. The company serves petroleum, agricultural, and mining companies. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Nassau, the Bahamas. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited is a subsidiary of Sparrow Capital Investments Ltd.