BP (BP) Competitors

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

Which has more volatility and risk, BP or SHEL?

BP has a beta of 0.54, indicating that its share price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Shell has a beta of 0.39, indicating that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor BP or SHEL?

In the previous week, Shell had 2 more articles in the media than BP. MarketBeat recorded 19 mentions for Shell and 17 mentions for BP. BP's average media sentiment score of 0.22 beat Shell's score of 0.21 indicating that BP is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
BP	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Shell	2 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is BP or SHEL a better dividend stock?

BP pays an annual dividend of $1.98 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.0%. 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.

Which has better earnings & 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	$194.63B	0.45	$381M	$0.21	158.26
Shell	$289.03B	0.73	$16.09B	$4.44	16.40

Do analysts rate BP or SHEL?

BP currently has a consensus price target of $42.41, suggesting a potential upside of 27.61%. Shell has a consensus price target of $79.41, suggesting a potential upside of 9.07%. Given BP's higher possible upside, research 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)	9 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.47
Shell	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.63

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%

Do institutionals & insiders believe in BP or SHEL?

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

Summary

Shell beats BP on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.