Ecopetrol (EC) Competitors

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their community ranking, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership and dividends.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor EC or EQNR?

Ecopetrol received 77 more outperform votes than Equinor ASA when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 56.47% of users gave Equinor ASA an outperform vote while only 52.96% of users gave Ecopetrol an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Ecopetrol	Outperform Votes 304 52.96%	Underperform Votes 270 47.04%
Equinor ASA	Outperform Votes 227 56.47%	Underperform Votes 175 43.53%

Does the media refer more to EC or EQNR?

In the previous week, Equinor ASA had 4 more articles in the media than Ecopetrol. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Equinor ASA and 1 mentions for Ecopetrol. Ecopetrol's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat Equinor ASA's score of 0.91 indicating that Ecopetrol is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ecopetrol	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Equinor ASA	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, EC or EQNR?

Ecopetrol has a beta of 0.82, indicating that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equinor ASA has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its share price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of EC or EQNR?

5.5% of Equinor ASA shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Equinor ASA shares are held 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.

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, EC or EQNR?

Ecopetrol has higher revenue and earnings than Equinor ASA. Ecopetrol is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Equinor ASA, 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
Ecopetrol	$133.39T	0.00	$25.27B	$1.66	5.62
Equinor ASA	$106.80B	0.69	$8.81B	$3.16	8.35

Do analysts rate EC or EQNR?

Ecopetrol currently has a consensus price target of $11.00, suggesting a potential upside of 17.90%. Equinor ASA has a consensus price target of $22.71, suggesting a potential downside of 13.90%. Given Ecopetrol's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Ecopetrol is more favorable than Equinor ASA.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ecopetrol	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
Equinor ASA	4 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.19

Is EC or EQNR more profitable?

Ecopetrol has a net margin of 12.92% compared to Equinor ASA's net margin of 8.49%. Equinor ASA's return on equity of 20.33% beat Ecopetrol's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ecopetrol	12.92%	8.66%	3.04%
Equinor ASA	8.49%	20.33%	6.83%

Is EC or EQNR a better dividend stock?

Ecopetrol pays an annual dividend of $1.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 16.2%. Equinor ASA pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. Ecopetrol pays out 91.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Equinor ASA pays out 46.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

Equinor ASA beats Ecopetrol on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.