Halliburton (HAL) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer HAL or BKR?

In the previous week, Baker Hughes had 5 more articles in the media than Halliburton. MarketBeat recorded 23 mentions for Baker Hughes and 18 mentions for Halliburton. Baker Hughes' average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Halliburton's score of 0.41 indicating that Baker Hughes is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Halliburton	10 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Baker Hughes	17 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is HAL or BKR a better dividend stock?

Halliburton pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Baker Hughes pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Halliburton pays out 28.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Baker Hughes pays out 31.4% 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. Halliburton has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Baker Hughes has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years. Halliburton is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has better earnings & valuation, HAL or BKR?

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
Halliburton	$22.56B	0.88	$2.50B	$2.39	9.65
Baker Hughes	$27.84B	1.45	$2.98B	$2.93	13.89

Which has more volatility & risk, HAL or BKR?

Halliburton has a beta of 1.13, meaning that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Baker Hughes has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend HAL or BKR?

Halliburton presently has a consensus price target of $33.53, indicating a potential upside of 45.39%. Baker Hughes has a consensus price target of $48.50, indicating a potential upside of 19.16%. Given Halliburton's higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Halliburton is more favorable than Baker Hughes.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Halliburton	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Baker Hughes	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	18 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.90

Is HAL or BKR more profitable?

Baker Hughes has a net margin of 10.51% compared to Halliburton's net margin of 9.31%. Halliburton's return on equity of 24.01% beat Baker Hughes' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Halliburton	9.31%	24.01%	9.81%
Baker Hughes	10.51%	14.70%	6.47%

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

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

Summary

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