Reviewing Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP) and Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU)

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) and Imperial Petroleum (NASDAQ:IMPP) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Centrus Energy and Imperial Petroleum”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Centrus Energy	$448.70 million	4.84	$77.80 million	$2.20	49.51
Imperial Petroleum	$241.35 million	0.94	$49.98 million	$1.91	2.59

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

Profitability

This table compares Centrus Energy and Imperial Petroleum’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Centrus Energy	10.23%	7.06%	2.01%
Imperial Petroleum	36.76%	16.92%	15.92%

Risk & Volatility

Centrus Energy has a beta of 1.53, suggesting that its share price is 53% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Imperial Petroleum has a beta of 1.27, suggesting that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Centrus Energy and Imperial Petroleum, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Centrus Energy	0	8	7	2	2.65
Imperial Petroleum	0	1	1	0	2.50

Centrus Energy presently has a consensus price target of $222.53, indicating a potential upside of 104.32%. Imperial Petroleum has a consensus price target of $9.00, indicating a potential upside of 81.82%. Given Centrus Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Centrus Energy is more favorable than Imperial Petroleum.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

50.0% of Centrus Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.4% of Imperial Petroleum shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Centrus Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Imperial Petroleum shares are owned 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.

Summary

Centrus Energy beats Imperial Petroleum on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Centrus Energy

Centrus Energy Corp. supplies nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment sells separative work units (SWU) components of LEU; natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, and uranium conversion; and enriched uranium products to utilities that operate nuclear power plants. The Technical Solutions segment offers technical, manufacturing, engineering, and operations services to public and private sector customers. The company was formerly known as USEC Inc. and changed its name to Centrus Energy Corp. in September 2014. Centrus Energy Corp. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

About Imperial Petroleum

Imperial Petroleum Inc. provides international seaborne transportation services to oil producers, refineries, and commodities traders. It carries refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals, crude oils, iron ore, coal and grains, and minor bulks, such as bauxite, phosphate, and fertilizers. As of April 1, 2024, the company owned and operated a fleet of six medium range refined petroleum product tankers; one Aframax tanker; two suezmax tankers; and two handysize drybulk carriers with a total capacity of 791,000 deadweight tons. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Athens, Greece.