Halliburton (HAL) Competitors

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

Do analysts rate BKR or HAL?

Baker Hughes presently has a consensus price target of $52.91, suggesting a potential upside of 17.12%. Halliburton has a consensus price target of $30.61, suggesting a potential upside of 37.56%. Given Halliburton's higher probable 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)	8 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.62

Which has stronger valuation & 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	1.60	$2.98B	$3.06	14.76
Halliburton	$22.94B	0.83	$2.50B	$2.14	10.40

Which has more risk & volatility, BKR or HAL?

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

Does the media favor BKR or HAL?

In the previous week, Baker Hughes and Baker Hughes both had 31 articles in the media. Baker Hughes' average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat Halliburton's score of 0.78 indicating that Baker Hughes is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Baker Hughes	16 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Halliburton	16 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

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 insiders & institutionals have more ownership in BKR or HAL?

92.1% of Baker Hughes shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.2% of Halliburton shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Baker Hughes shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Halliburton shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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 2.0%. Halliburton pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. 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.

Summary

Baker Hughes beats Halliburton on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.