Core Viewpoint - Star Bulk Carriers Corp. reported strong financial results for Q4 2024, with significant increases in voyage revenues and net income compared to the previous year, despite facing challenges in charter rates and operating expenses [2][28][30]. Financial Performance - Voyage Revenues for Q4 2024 reached $308.9 million, up from $263.5 million in Q4 2023, marking a 17.3% increase [2][30]. - Net Income for Q4 2024 was $42.4 million, compared to $39.7 million in Q4 2023, reflecting a 1.9% increase [2][28]. - Adjusted Net Income for Q4 2024 was $40.6 million, down from $63.5 million in Q4 2023, indicating a decrease of 36.1% [2][28]. - EBITDA for Q4 2024 was $106.2 million, compared to $93.2 million in Q4 2023, representing a 14.4% increase [2][29]. Operational Highlights - The average number of vessels increased to 153.1 in Q4 2024 from 117.8 in Q4 2023, contributing to higher revenues [2][30]. - Daily Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) rate decreased to $16,129 in Q4 2024 from $18,296 in Q4 2023, reflecting weaker market conditions [2][30]. - Daily operating expenses per vessel rose to $5,164 in Q4 2024 from $4,991 in Q4 2023, driven by the acquisition of the Eagle fleet [2][32]. Dividend and Share Repurchase - The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share, corresponding to 60% of the cash flow for Q4 2024 [9][13]. - The company authorized a new $100 million share repurchase program, with $7.4 million spent to repurchase 500,000 shares in January 2025 [9][17]. Cost Management and Synergies - The company achieved cumulative cost reductions of $21.8 million since April 2024, with $12.6 million in cost reductions realized in Q4 2024 alone [10]. - The integration of systems and processes from the Eagle fleet is expected to yield further operational efficiencies [10]. Financing and Debt Management - Star Bulk successfully raised new debt and refinanced existing facilities on favorable terms, reducing costs and extending maturities [11][20]. - The company has an outstanding total notional amount of $50 million under interest rate swaps, with a Mark-to-Market value of $3.2 million as of December 31, 2024 [19]. Market Outlook - The company remains cautiously optimistic about the medium-term outlook for the dry bulk market, citing a low order book and an aging global fleet [12].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK), and suggests that while the average brokerage recommendation indicates a "Buy," investors should be cautious and validate this with other analysis tools like the Zacks Rank [1][4][12]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations - Star Bulk Carriers has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.80, which is between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from five brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the five recommendations, three are Strong Buy, accounting for 60% of the total recommendations [2]. - Despite the positive ABR, studies indicate that brokerage recommendations often do not effectively guide investors towards stocks with high potential for price appreciation [4][9]. Group 2: Analyst Bias and Limitations - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, issuing five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" [5][9]. - This misalignment of interests can lead to misleading insights regarding a stock's future price movement [6][9]. Group 3: Zacks Rank vs. ABR - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary tool that classifies stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and is considered a reliable indicator of near-term price performance, contrasting with the ABR which is solely based on brokerage recommendations [7][10]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently and reflects timely changes in earnings estimates, while the ABR may not be current [11]. Group 4: Current Earnings Outlook for SBLK - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Star Bulk Carriers has declined by 15% over the past month to $2.75, indicating growing pessimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [12]. - This decline in earnings estimates has resulted in a Zacks Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) for Star Bulk Carriers, suggesting that the positive ABR should be viewed with skepticism [13].

Core Viewpoint - Wall Street anticipates a year-over-year decline in earnings for Star Bulk Carriers despite higher revenues, with actual results being crucial for stock price movement [1][2]. Earnings Expectations - Star Bulk Carriers is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.42 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 42.5% [3]. - Revenues are projected to be $287.05 million, which is a 9% increase from the previous year [3]. Estimate Revisions - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised down by 114.83% over the last 30 days, indicating a bearish sentiment among analysts [4]. - The Most Accurate Estimate for Star Bulk Carriers is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, resulting in an Earnings ESP of -8.43% [10][11]. Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model suggests that a positive or negative reading indicates the likelihood of actual earnings deviating from consensus estimates, with positive readings being more predictive of earnings beats [5][7]. - Stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and a strong Zacks Rank have historically shown a nearly 70% success rate in beating earnings expectations [8]. Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, Star Bulk Carriers met the expected earnings of $0.71 per share, resulting in no surprise [12]. - Over the past four quarters, the company has only beaten consensus EPS estimates once [13]. Industry Context - In the Zacks Transportation - Shipping industry, Scorpio Tankers is expected to report earnings of $0.49 per share, indicating a year-over-year decline of 82.2% [17]. - Scorpio Tankers has seen a 51.2% downward revision in its consensus EPS estimate over the last 30 days, with an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) [18].

Core Viewpoint - Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) has gained attention as one of the most searched stocks, prompting analysis of factors influencing its future performance [1] Earnings Estimates - For the current quarter, Star Bulk Carriers is expected to report earnings of $0.45 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 38.4% [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current fiscal year is $2.78, indicating a year-over-year increase of 51.1%, with a 30-day change of +11% [5] - The consensus earnings estimate for the next fiscal year is $2.52, showing a decrease of 9.2% compared to the previous year, with no change over the past month [6] Revenue Growth - The consensus sales estimate for the current quarter is $291.96 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 10.8% [9] - Estimated revenues for the current fiscal year are $1.25 billion, indicating a growth of 31.5%, while the next fiscal year's estimate is $1.14 billion, reflecting a decrease of 8.7% [9] Recent Performance - In the last reported quarter, Star Bulk Carriers achieved revenues of $344.28 million, a year-over-year increase of 54.3%, with an EPS of $0.71 compared to $0.34 a year ago [10] - The company reported a revenue surprise of +0.57% compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate and had an EPS surprise of 0% [11] Valuation - Star Bulk Carriers is graded A in the Zacks Value Style Score, indicating it is trading at a discount compared to its peers [15] - Valuation metrics such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF) are essential for assessing whether the stock is fairly valued [13][14] Market Position - The Zacks Rank for Star Bulk Carriers is 5 (Strong Sell), suggesting potential underperformance relative to the broader market in the near term [7][16]

Group 1 - Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) closed at $14.68, showing no change from the previous day, while the S&P 500 gained 0.88% [1] - Over the past month, SBLK shares have decreased by 3.74%, underperforming the Transportation sector's gain of 2.17% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.17% [1] Group 2 - The upcoming earnings release is anticipated, with projected earnings per share (EPS) of $0.39, indicating a 46.58% decline from the same quarter last year [2] - Revenue is estimated to be $299.25 million, reflecting a 13.58% increase from the prior-year quarter [2] Group 3 - Recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Star Bulk Carriers are noteworthy, as they often indicate changing near-term business trends [3] - Positive estimate revisions suggest analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability [3] Group 4 - The Zacks Rank system, which assesses estimate revisions, indicates that these changes correlate with near-term share price momentum [4] - The Zacks Rank ranges from 1 (Strong Buy) to 5 (Strong Sell), with 1 stocks historically returning an average of +25% annually since 1988 [5] Group 5 - Star Bulk Carriers currently holds a Zacks Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), with the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remaining steady over the past month [5] Group 6 - From a valuation perspective, SBLK has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.47, which is below the industry average of 7.82 [6] Group 7 - The company has a PEG ratio of 4.4, compared to the average PEG ratio of 0.56 for the Transportation - Shipping industry [7] - The Transportation - Shipping industry is ranked 241 in the Zacks Industry Rank, placing it in the bottom 4% of over 250 industries [7] Group 8 - The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the strength of industry groups based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks, with the top 50% rated industries outperforming the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [8]

Core Viewpoint - Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) has been a highly searched stock, with its performance being influenced by both market trends and fundamental factors [1] Earnings Estimate Revisions - The current quarter's earnings estimate for Star Bulk Carriers is $0.39 per share, reflecting a decrease of 46.6% year-over-year, with the consensus estimate remaining unchanged over the last 30 days [4] - For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate is $2.73, indicating an increase of 48.4% from the previous year, also unchanged over the last month [4] - The next fiscal year's consensus earnings estimate is $2.27, showing a decline of 16.9% compared to the prior year, with no changes in the estimate over the past month [5] Revenue Growth - The consensus sales estimate for the current quarter is $299.25 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 13.6% [8] - For the current fiscal year, the sales estimate is $1.26 billion, indicating a growth of 32.3%, while the next fiscal year's estimate is $1.24 billion, reflecting a slight decline of 1.2% [8] Last Reported Results - In the last reported quarter, Star Bulk Carriers achieved revenues of $344.28 million, a year-over-year increase of 54.3%, with an EPS of $0.71 compared to $0.34 a year ago [9] - The reported revenues exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $342.34 million by 0.57%, while the EPS met the consensus estimate [10] Valuation - Star Bulk Carriers has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, indicating it is trading at a discount compared to its peers [14]

Core Viewpoint - The average brokerage recommendation (ABR) for Star Bulk Carriers is 1.80, indicating a recommendation between Strong Buy and Buy, but reliance solely on this metric may not be advisable due to the limited success of brokerage recommendations in guiding investors towards stocks with high price appreciation potential [1][3][10]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations - The ABR for Star Bulk Carriers is based on recommendations from five brokerage firms, with three of them (60%) rating it as Strong Buy [12]. - Analysts employed by brokerage firms tend to be overly optimistic, often issuing more favorable ratings than warranted by their research, which can mislead investors [6][13]. - The ABR is calculated based on brokerage recommendations and is displayed with decimals, while the Zacks Rank is a quantitative model based on earnings estimate revisions and is displayed in whole numbers [5][15]. Group 2: Zacks Rank vs. ABR - The Zacks Rank has shown a strong correlation between earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements, making it a more reliable tool for predicting stock performance compared to the ABR [7][14]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Star Bulk Carriers has declined by 12.3% over the past month, leading to a Zacks Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), indicating a bearish outlook for the stock [9][10]. - The ABR may not be up-to-date, while the Zacks Rank reflects timely revisions in earnings estimates, providing a more current perspective on stock price predictions [8].

In the latest market close, Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) reached $14.94, with a -0.4% movement compared to the previous day. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.39%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.61%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.32%.Shares of the shipping company have depreciated by 26.61% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Transportation sector's loss of 2.85% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.6%.The investment community will be closely monit ...

ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (the "Company" or "Star Bulk") (Nasdaq: SBLK), a global shipping company focusing on the transportation of dry bulk cargoes, today announced that the Company’s Board further amended its dividend policy which was in place since 2021. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this press release to "we," "us," "our," or similar references, mean Star Bulk Carriers Corp. and, where applicable, ...

Plenty of vertical industries will see increases in volatility when and if oil prices begin to move away from the cyclical lows they currently trade at. While some investors might see volatility as potentially dangerous, those who have been in the stock market long enough understand that volatility allows money to be made as long as the original idea behind a trade is sound enough. Today, there are plenty of tailwinds behind oil and the rest of the energy sector. These tailwinds could send oil prices back t ...