Shell (SHEL) Competitors

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

Which has more volatility & risk, BP or SHEL?

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

Does the media prefer BP or SHEL?

In the previous week, Shell had 14 more articles in the media than BP. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Shell and 8 mentions for BP. Shell's average media sentiment score of 0.23 beat BP's score of -0.01 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)	5 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Shell	10 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do analysts rate BP or SHEL?

BP currently has a consensus target price of GBX 450, indicating a potential upside of 5.73%. Shell has a consensus target price of GBX 3,110, indicating a potential upside of 19.04%. Given Shell's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Shell is more favorable than BP.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
BP	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
Shell	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80

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

41.6% of BP shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.9% of Shell shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of BP shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Shell shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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%

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, BP or SHEL?

Shell has higher revenue and earnings than BP. BP is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Shell, 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	0.36	£3.23B	£13.39	31.79
Shell	£272.01B	0.56	£18.82B	£2.24	1,166.29

Is BP or SHEL a better dividend stock?

BP pays an annual dividend of GBX 23 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.4%. Shell pays an annual dividend of GBX 1.39 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. 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 62.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

Shell beats BP on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.