Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ:CLNE) & Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG) Financial Contrast

Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG) and Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ:CLNE) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

Dorian LPG has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Clean Energy Fuels has a beta of 1.87, suggesting that its share price is 87% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Dorian LPG and Clean Energy Fuels’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Dorian LPG	70.38%	31.49%	20.23%
Clean Energy Fuels	-16.95%	-13.49%	-7.30%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

62.5% of Dorian LPG shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.9% of Clean Energy Fuels shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.5% of Dorian LPG shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Clean Energy Fuels shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Dorian LPG and Clean Energy Fuels, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dorian LPG	0	1	3	1	3.00
Clean Energy Fuels	1	2	0	1	2.25

Dorian LPG presently has a consensus target price of $55.00, indicating a potential upside of 18.34%. Clean Energy Fuels has a consensus target price of $2.38, indicating a potential upside of 30.24%. Given Clean Energy Fuels’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Clean Energy Fuels is more favorable than Dorian LPG.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Dorian LPG and Clean Energy Fuels”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dorian LPG	$682.47 million	2.93	$193.67 million	$11.23	4.14
Clean Energy Fuels	$424.83 million	0.95	-$222.02 million	($0.36)	-5.08

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

Summary

Dorian LPG beats Clean Energy Fuels on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dorian LPG

Dorian LPG Ltd. is an international shipping company focused on the seaborne transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs), which move LPG between production centers and markets around the world. The company’s fleet includes vessels designed to carry LPG, including ships equipped with dual-fuel propulsion systems. Dorian LPG serves global trade routes connecting suppliers in regions such as the United States and the Middle East with customers in Asia, Europe and other markets.

About Clean Energy Fuels

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) provides fueling solutions for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets in North America. The company develops, owns and operates natural gas fueling stations and supplies transportation fuel to customers such as refuse and recycling companies, transit agencies, trucking operators, airports and other commercial fleets. Its offerings include compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG). Clean Energy also provides station construction, operation and maintenance services, fleet fueling support, and related infrastructure solutions.