Ecopetrol (EC) Competitors

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) and Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and risk.

Does the media refer more to CNQ or EC?

In the previous week, Canadian Natural Resources had 23 more articles in the media than Ecopetrol. MarketBeat recorded 26 mentions for Canadian Natural Resources and 3 mentions for Ecopetrol. Canadian Natural Resources' average media sentiment score of 1.41 beat Ecopetrol's score of 0.86 indicating that Canadian Natural Resources is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Canadian Natural Resources	17 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ecopetrol	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better valuation & earnings, CNQ or EC?

Ecopetrol has higher revenue and earnings than Canadian Natural Resources. Ecopetrol is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Canadian Natural Resources, 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
Canadian Natural Resources	$30.30B	2.20	$4.46B	$2.55	12.51
Ecopetrol	$32.80B	0.53	$15.23B	$1.52	5.60

Do insiders & institutionals believe in CNQ or EC?

74.0% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.0% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is CNQ or EC more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources has a net margin of 16.92% compared to Ecopetrol's net margin of 9.74%. Canadian Natural Resources' return on equity of 20.90% beat Ecopetrol's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Canadian Natural Resources	16.92%	20.90%	10.37%
Ecopetrol	9.74%	6.70%	2.36%

Which has more risk & volatility, CNQ or EC?

Canadian Natural Resources has a beta of 1.03, suggesting that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ecopetrol has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend CNQ or EC?

Canadian Natural Resources presently has a consensus target price of $63.00, indicating a potential upside of 97.49%. Ecopetrol has a consensus target price of $11.00, indicating a potential upside of 29.26%. Given Canadian Natural Resources' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Canadian Natural Resources is more favorable than Ecopetrol.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Canadian Natural Resources	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Ecopetrol	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Is CNQ or EC a better dividend stock?

Canadian Natural Resources pays an annual dividend of $1.71 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.4%. Ecopetrol pays an annual dividend of $1.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 17.7%. Canadian Natural Resources pays out 67.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ecopetrol pays out 99.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Canadian Natural Resources has raised its dividend for 24 consecutive years.

Summary

Canadian Natural Resources beats Ecopetrol on 16 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.