BP (BP) Competitors

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

Is BP or SHEL more profitable?

Shell has a net margin of 5.27% compared to BP's net margin of 1.39%. Shell's return on equity of 8.38% beat BP's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
BP	1.39%	3.99%	4.07%
Shell	5.27%	8.38%	5.28%

Is BP or SHEL a better dividend stock?

BP pays an annual dividend of GBX 23 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.0%. Shell pays an annual dividend of GBX 105 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. BP pays out 171.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Shell pays out 52.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer BP or SHEL?

BP received 1628 more outperform votes than Shell when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 71.18% of users gave BP an outperform vote while only 32.42% of users gave Shell an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
BP	Outperform Votes 1687 71.18%	Underperform Votes 683 28.82%
Shell	Outperform Votes 59 32.42%	Underperform Votes 123 67.58%

Which has more volatility & risk, BP or SHEL?

BP has a beta of 0.49, meaning that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Shell has a beta of 0.51, meaning that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate BP or SHEL?

BP currently has a consensus price target of GBX 494, suggesting a potential upside of 28.41%. Shell has a consensus price target of GBX 3,287.50, suggesting a potential upside of 22.53%. Given BP's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe BP is more favorable than Shell.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
BP	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40
Shell	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, BP or SHEL?

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
BP	£233.22B	0.32	£3.23B	£13.39	28.74
Shell	£357.18B	0.57	£18.82B	£200.69	13.37

Does the media refer more to BP or SHEL?

In the previous week, Shell had 10 more articles in the media than BP. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Shell and 4 mentions for BP. Shell's average media sentiment score of 0.31 beat BP's score of 0.25 indicating that Shell is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
BP	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Shell	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do insiders & institutionals believe in BP or SHEL?

41.6% of BP shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.3% of Shell shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of BP shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Shell shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Shell beats BP on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.