Unpacking Q4 Earnings: Pangaea (NASDAQ:PANL) In The Context Of Other Marine Transportation Stocks
The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how marine transportation stocks fared in Q4, starting with Pangaea (NASDAQ:PANL).
The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, presenting opportunities for marine transportation companies. While ocean freight is more fuel efficient and therefore cheaper than its air and ground counterparts, it results in slower delivery times, presenting a trade off. To improve transit speeds, the industry continues to invest in digitization to optimize fleets and routes. However, marine transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins. Geopolitical tensions can also affect access to trade routes, and if certain countries are banned from using passageways like the Panama Canal, costs can spiral out of control.
The 5 marine transportation stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.3%.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 9.8% since the latest earnings results.
Pangaea (NASDAQ:PANL)
Established in 1996, Pangaea Logistics (NASDAQ:PANL) specializes in global logistics and transportation services, focusing on the shipment of dry bulk cargoes.
Pangaea reported revenues of $147.2 million, up 11.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 15.6%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
"Our fourth quarter performance was a strong finish to a transformational year for Pangaea, one in which our strong base of long-term contracts and premium-rate model supported a greater than 18% year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA, despite pronounced softness in the broader dry bulk market," stated Mark Filanowski, Chief Executive Officer of Pangaea Logistics Solutions.
Pangaea achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat of the whole group. Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 2.3% since reporting and currently trades at $4.75.
Is now the time to buy Pangaea? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free .
