Halliburton (HAL) Competitors

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Does the media favor BKR or HAL?

In the previous week, Baker Hughes had 12 more articles in the media than Halliburton. MarketBeat recorded 25 mentions for Baker Hughes and 13 mentions for Halliburton. Halliburton's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Baker Hughes' score of 1.20 indicating that Halliburton is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Baker Hughes	16 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Halliburton	9 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in BKR or HAL?

92.1% of Baker Hughes shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.2% of Halliburton shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Baker Hughes shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Halliburton shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is BKR or HAL more profitable?

Baker Hughes has a net margin of 11.04% compared to Halliburton's net margin of 8.37%. Halliburton's return on equity of 21.45% beat Baker Hughes' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Baker Hughes	11.04%	14.56%	6.53%
Halliburton	8.37%	21.45%	8.85%

Do analysts recommend BKR or HAL?

Baker Hughes currently has a consensus target price of $52.00, suggesting a potential upside of 7.22%. Halliburton has a consensus target price of $31.20, suggesting a potential upside of 28.36%. Given Halliburton's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Halliburton is more favorable than Baker Hughes.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Baker Hughes	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	22 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.85
Halliburton	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.61

Is BKR or HAL a better dividend stock?

Baker Hughes pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. Halliburton pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Baker Hughes pays out 30.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Halliburton pays out 31.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Baker Hughes has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Halliburton has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Which has more risk & volatility, BKR or HAL?

Baker Hughes has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Halliburton has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, BKR or HAL?

Baker Hughes has higher revenue and earnings than Halliburton. Halliburton is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Baker Hughes, 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
Baker Hughes	$27.83B	1.72	$2.98B	$3.06	15.85
Halliburton	$22.94B	0.90	$2.50B	$2.14	11.36

Summary

Baker Hughes beats Halliburton on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.