Core Laboratories (CLB) Competitors

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) and Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, profitability, community ranking, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in HLX or CLB?

87.8% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.4% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.0% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer HLX or CLB?

In the previous week, Core Laboratories had 3 more articles in the media than Helix Energy Solutions Group. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Core Laboratories and 3 mentions for Helix Energy Solutions Group. Helix Energy Solutions Group's average media sentiment score of 1.52 beat Core Laboratories' score of 0.53 indicating that Helix Energy Solutions Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Helix Energy Solutions Group	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Core Laboratories	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, HLX or CLB?

Helix Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 2.78, suggesting that its share price is 178% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Core Laboratories has a beta of 2.67, suggesting that its share price is 167% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor HLX or CLB?

Core Laboratories received 27 more outperform votes than Helix Energy Solutions Group when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 59.57% of users gave Helix Energy Solutions Group an outperform vote while only 56.78% of users gave Core Laboratories an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Helix Energy Solutions Group	Outperform Votes 442 59.57%	Underperform Votes 300 40.43%
Core Laboratories	Outperform Votes 469 56.78%	Underperform Votes 357 43.22%

Is HLX or CLB more profitable?

Core Laboratories has a net margin of 4.72% compared to Helix Energy Solutions Group's net margin of -5.23%. Core Laboratories' return on equity of 15.23% beat Helix Energy Solutions Group's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Helix Energy Solutions Group	-5.23%	-2.25%	-1.46%
Core Laboratories	4.72%	15.23%	4.90%

Which has better valuation and earnings, HLX or CLB?

Core Laboratories has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Helix Energy Solutions Group. Helix Energy Solutions Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Core Laboratories, 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
Helix Energy Solutions Group	$873.10 million	1.15	-$87.78 million	-$0.33	-20.03
Core Laboratories	$489.73 million	2.20	$19.45 million	$0.50	46.26

Do analysts prefer HLX or CLB?

Helix Energy Solutions Group presently has a consensus price target of $7.80, suggesting a potential upside of 18.00%. Core Laboratories has a consensus price target of $22.30, suggesting a potential downside of 3.59%. Given Helix Energy Solutions Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Helix Energy Solutions Group is more favorable than Core Laboratories.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Helix Energy Solutions Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Core Laboratories	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.33

Summary

Core Laboratories beats Helix Energy Solutions Group on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.