ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) and Pamt (NASDAQ:PAMT) Head-To-Head Contrast

Pamt (NASDAQ:PAMT) and ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Pamt and ArcBest’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pamt	-4.45%	-2.58%	-1.07%
ArcBest	4.16%	11.79%	6.23%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Pamt and ArcBest”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pamt	$714.65 million	0.39	-$31.80 million	($1.46)	-8.79
ArcBest	$4.18 billion	0.40	$173.96 million	$7.33	9.96

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

Insider and Institutional Ownership

22.1% of Pamt shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.3% of ArcBest shares are held by institutional investors. 27.2% of Pamt shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of ArcBest shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Pamt has a beta of 1.15, suggesting that its stock price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ArcBest has a beta of 1.54, suggesting that its stock price is 54% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Pamt and ArcBest, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pamt	0	1	0	0	2.00
ArcBest	1	7	5	0	2.31

Pamt presently has a consensus price target of $16.50, indicating a potential upside of 28.60%. ArcBest has a consensus price target of $109.75, indicating a potential upside of 50.28%. Given ArcBest’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ArcBest is more favorable than Pamt.

Summary

ArcBest beats Pamt on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pamt

PAMT Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of truckload and logistics services through its subsidiaries. Its freight consists primarily of automotive parts, expedited goods, consumer goods, such as general retail store merchandise, and manufactured goods, such as heating and air conditioning units. The company was founded in June 1986 and is headquartered in Tontitown, AR.

About ArcBest

ArcBest Corporation, an integrated logistics company, engages in the provision of ground, air, and ocean transportation solutions. It operates through two segments: Asset-Based and Asset-Light. The Asset-Based segment provides less-than-truckload (LTL) services, that transports general commodities, such as food, textiles, apparel, furniture, appliances, chemicals, non-bulk petroleum products, rubber, plastics, metal and metal products, wood, glass, automotive parts, machinery, and miscellaneous manufactured products. The segment also offers motor carrier freight transportation services to customers in Mexico through arrangements with trucking companies. The Asset-Light segment provides ground expedite services; third-party transportation brokerage services by sourcing various capacity solutions, including dry van over-the-road, temperature-controlled and refrigerated, flatbed, intermodal or container shipping, and specialized equipment; less-than- and full container load ocean transportation services; warehousing and distribution services; managed transportation services; and moving services to do-it-yourself' consumer, as well as provides final mile, time critical, product launch, retail logistics, supply chain optimization, and trade show shipping services. This segment also offers premium logistics services, such as deployment of specialized equipment to meet linehaul requirements; international freight transportation with air, ocean, and ground services; and engages in the final mile, time-critical, product launch, retail logistics, supply chain optimization, brokered LTL, and trade show shipping activities. The company was formerly known as Arkansas Best Corporation and changed its name to ArcBest Corporation in May 2014. ArcBest Corporation was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas.