Suncor Energy (SU) Competitors

Suncor Energy (TSE:SU) and Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and valuation.

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Canadian Natural Resources. Suncor Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Canadian Natural Resources, 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
Suncor Energy	C$52.29B	1.29	C$7.92B	C$6.33	8.50
Canadian Natural Resources	C$35.38B	2.58	C$7.52B	C$3.60	12.07

Is SU or CNQ more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources has a net margin of 21.25% compared to Suncor Energy's net margin of 15.15%. Canadian Natural Resources' return on equity of 19.14% beat Suncor Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Suncor Energy	15.15%	18.10%	7.01%
Canadian Natural Resources	21.25%	19.14%	8.80%

Do analysts prefer SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy presently has a consensus target price of C$62.67, indicating a potential upside of 16.39%. Canadian Natural Resources has a consensus target price of C$54.58, indicating a potential upside of 25.59%. Given Canadian Natural Resources' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Canadian Natural Resources is more favorable than Suncor Energy.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Suncor Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.85
Canadian Natural Resources	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Which has more volatility and risk, SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy has a beta of 1.47, suggesting that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Canadian Natural Resources has a beta of 1.89, suggesting that its stock price is 89% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to SU or CNQ?

In the previous week, Canadian Natural Resources had 2 more articles in the media than Suncor Energy. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Canadian Natural Resources and 4 mentions for Suncor Energy. Canadian Natural Resources' average media sentiment score of 0.87 beat Suncor Energy's score of 0.82 indicating that Canadian Natural Resources is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Suncor Energy	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Canadian Natural Resources	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals & insiders believe in SU or CNQ?

73.1% of Suncor Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.8% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Suncor Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is SU or CNQ a better dividend stock?

Suncor Energy pays an annual dividend of C$2.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. Canadian Natural Resources pays an annual dividend of C$2.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.9%. Suncor Energy pays out 34.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Canadian Natural Resources pays out 59.4% 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.

Summary

Canadian Natural Resources beats Suncor Energy on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.