Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) and Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
92.7% of Core Laboratories shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.4% of Oceaneering International shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Core Laboratories shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Oceaneering International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Core Laboratories and Oceaneering International's revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio |
|---|
| Core Laboratories | $668.21 million | 2.34 | $101.98 million | $1.79 | 18.89 |
| Oceaneering International | $2.05 billion | 0.75 | $-348,440,000.00 | ($0.82) | -18.78 |
Core Laboratories has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Oceaneering International. Oceaneering International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Core Laboratories, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Core Laboratories and Oceaneering International's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets |
|---|
| Core Laboratories | -19.02% | 45.39% | 6.74% |
| Oceaneering International | -37.40% | -3.56% | -1.14% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Core Laboratories and Oceaneering International, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score |
|---|
| Core Laboratories | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Oceaneering International | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2.33 |
Core Laboratories presently has a consensus price target of $26.1111, indicating a potential downside of 22.77%. Oceaneering International has a consensus price target of $11.7250, indicating a potential downside of 23.86%. Given Core Laboratories' higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Core Laboratories is more favorable than Oceaneering International.
Risk and Volatility
Core Laboratories has a beta of 3.38, indicating that its share price is 238% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Oceaneering International has a beta of 3.6, indicating that its share price is 260% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Core Laboratories beats Oceaneering International on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
