BP (BP) Competitors

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

Is BP or SHEL 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
BP	0.29%	9.08%	2.57%
Shell	4.93%	10.67%	5.02%

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, 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	$194.63B	0.48	$381M	$0.21	168.27
Shell	$289.03B	0.75	$16.09B	$4.44	16.66

Which has more volatility and risk, BP or SHEL?

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

Is BP or SHEL a better dividend stock?

BP pays an annual dividend of $1.98 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. Shell pays an annual dividend of $2.86 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. BP pays out 942.9% 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 64.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

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

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

Does the media prefer BP or SHEL?

In the previous week, Shell had 35 more articles in the media than BP. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for Shell and 8 mentions for BP. Shell's average media sentiment score of 0.72 beat BP's score of 0.17 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)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Shell	19 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	17 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts rate BP or SHEL?

BP currently has a consensus target price of $41.77, indicating a potential upside of 18.22%. Shell has a consensus target price of $76.71, indicating a potential upside of 3.68%. 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
BP	1 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Shell	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.59

Summary

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