In this article, we will look at the 11 Best Shipping and Container Stocks to Invest in Now.
According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the global container shipping market is worth $119.65 billion as of 2025. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.11% between 2025 and 2030, reaching a market size of $139.45 billion at the end of the forecast period. While North America is the largest market in the sector, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing.
On June 16, Peter Tirschwell from S&P Global Market Intelligence appeared on CNBC to talk about the potential disruption to global shipping due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. He said that ocean carriers have no plans to go back into the Red Sea, as the very threat of military activity around a narrow yet significant route like the Strait of Hormuz could prove enough to significantly disrupt shipping.
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Tirschwell also said that the closure of the strait would cause significant disruption in the oil sector, as well as other sectors of shipping, such as containers. He reasoned that although less than 5% of the containers are moving through the Strait of Hormuz, any disruption to the region would definitely have repercussions.
With these trends in view, let’s look at the best shipping and container stocks to invest in now.
A shipping tanker moving through a busy port with containers stacked in the background.
Our Methodology
We used Finviz to compile a list of top shipping and container stocks and selected the top 11 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund holders as of Q1 2025, sourcing the hedge fund sentiment data from Insider Monkey’s database. The list is sorted in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment.
Note: All data was recorded on July 23.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
11 Best Shipping and Container Stocks to Invest in Now
11. Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 13
Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) is one of the best shipping and container stocks to invest in now. In a report released on July 22, Jonathan Chappell from Evercore ISI maintained a Buy rating on Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) and set a price target of $12.00.
Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) reported $5.6 million in reported adjusted earnings and net income attributable to common stockholders for the three months ended March 31, which translates to $0.14 earnings per basic and diluted share.
The company also reported that MR tankers earned an average TCE rate of $20,942 per day for the quarter, while chemical tankers earned an average TCE rate of $14,975 per day.
Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) provides seaborne transportation services for petroleum products and chemicals. It offers its services to major national oil companies, oil majors, chemical companies, and oil and chemical traders across the globe. The company also owns and operates a fleet of tankers.
10. Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 13
Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) is one of the best shipping and container stocks to invest in now. On May 23, Kepler Capital analyst Axel Styrman maintained a Buy rating on Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) and set a price target of NOK96.50.
The rating update came after Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) announced fiscal Q1 2025 results on May 21.
The analyst maintained an optimistic rating for the company even after its Q1 results reflected a weaker market environment, with lower trading activity and softer charter rates impacting performance.
Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) reported a net loss of $44.1 million and a loss per share of $0.22 (basic) for the quarter, compared to net income of $39.0 million and earnings per share of $0.20 (basic) for fiscal Q4 2024.
However, management stated that despite the unexpected headwinds, including trade tariffs and increased macroeconomic uncertainty, the fundamentals of dry bulk shipping remain intact, supporting Golden Ocean Group Limited’s (NASDAQ:GOGL) medium-term outlook.
Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) operates and owns dry bulk vessels. The company transports bulk commodities including grains, ores, coal, and fertilizers, and manages Newcastlemax, Capesize, Panamax, and Ultramax vessels. Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) also charters, purchases, and sells vessels.
