Schlumberger (SLB) Competitors

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

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of SLB or BKR?

82.0% of Schlumberger shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.1% of Baker Hughes shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Schlumberger shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Baker Hughes shares are held by company 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 SLB or BKR more profitable?

Schlumberger has a net margin of 11.53% compared to Baker Hughes' net margin of 11.04%. Schlumberger's return on equity of 20.99% beat Baker Hughes' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Schlumberger	11.53%	20.99%	9.34%
Baker Hughes	11.04%	14.56%	6.53%

Which has more volatility & risk, SLB or BKR?

Schlumberger has a beta of 1.03, indicating that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Baker Hughes has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to SLB or BKR?

In the previous week, Schlumberger and Schlumberger both had 32 articles in the media. Schlumberger's average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Baker Hughes' score of 0.98 indicating that Schlumberger is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Schlumberger	28 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Baker Hughes	22 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is SLB or BKR a better dividend stock?

Schlumberger pays an annual dividend of $1.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Baker Hughes pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Schlumberger pays out 39.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Baker Hughes pays out 30.1% 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. Schlumberger has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Baker Hughes has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years. Schlumberger is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts prefer SLB or BKR?

Schlumberger presently has a consensus target price of $49.28, indicating a potential upside of 50.42%. Baker Hughes has a consensus target price of $51.47, indicating a potential upside of 19.87%. Given Schlumberger's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Schlumberger is more favorable than Baker Hughes.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Schlumberger	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.89
Baker Hughes	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	18 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, SLB or BKR?

Schlumberger has higher revenue and earnings than Baker Hughes. Schlumberger 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
Schlumberger	$36.29B	1.22	$4.46B	$2.92	11.22
Baker Hughes	$27.83B	1.52	$2.98B	$3.06	14.03

Summary

Schlumberger beats Baker Hughes on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.