BP (BP) Competitors

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) and BP (NYSE:BP) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and valuation.

Which has better valuation & earnings, SHEL or BP?

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

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Shell	$272.01B	0.80	$16.09B	$4.44	16.70
BP	$186.54B	0.50	$381M	$0.21	168.47

Which has more volatility & risk, SHEL or BP?

Shell has a beta of 0.44, suggesting that its stock price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BP has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is SHEL or BP more profitable?

Shell has a net margin of 4.93% compared to BP's net margin of 0.29%. Shell's return on equity of 10.67% beat BP's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Shell	4.93%	10.67%	5.02%
BP	0.29%	9.08%	2.57%

Do analysts rate SHEL or BP?

Shell presently has a consensus price target of $76.71, indicating a potential upside of 3.47%. BP has a consensus price target of $41.77, indicating a potential upside of 18.07%. Given BP's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe BP is more favorable than Shell.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Shell	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.59
BP	1 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Does the media prefer SHEL or BP?

In the previous week, Shell had 32 more articles in the media than BP. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Shell and 7 mentions for BP. Shell's average media sentiment score of 0.70 beat BP's score of 0.13 indicating that Shell is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Shell	20 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	15 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
BP	0 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in SHEL or BP?

28.6% of Shell shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.0% of BP shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Shell shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of BP shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is SHEL or BP a better dividend stock?

Shell pays an annual dividend of $2.86 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. BP pays an annual dividend of $1.97 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. Shell pays out 64.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. BP pays out 938.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Shell beats BP on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.