Head-To-Head Contrast: Dynagas LNG Partners (NYSE:DLNG) & Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ:IEP)

Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ:IEP) and Dynagas LNG Partners (NYSE:DLNG) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

87.1% of Icahn Enterprises shares are held by institutional investors. 90.1% of Icahn Enterprises 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.

Profitability

This table compares Icahn Enterprises and Dynagas LNG Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Icahn Enterprises	-9.25%	-20.22%	-3.71%
Dynagas LNG Partners	42.33%	13.05%	6.74%

Dividends

Icahn Enterprises pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 42.1%. Dynagas LNG Partners pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.5%. Icahn Enterprises pays out -129.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Dynagas LNG Partners pays out 11.9% 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. Icahn Enterprises is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Icahn Enterprises and Dynagas LNG Partners, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Icahn Enterprises	1	0	0	0	1.00
Dynagas LNG Partners	0	1	0	0	2.00

Risk and Volatility

Icahn Enterprises has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Dynagas LNG Partners has a beta of 0.58, suggesting that its share price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Icahn Enterprises and Dynagas LNG Partners”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Icahn Enterprises	$9.66 billion	0.37	-$299.00 million	($1.54)	-3.08
Dynagas LNG Partners	$156.62 million	0.71	$61.60 million	$1.68	1.82

Dynagas LNG Partners has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Icahn Enterprises. Icahn Enterprises is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Dynagas LNG Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Dynagas LNG Partners beats Icahn Enterprises on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Icahn Enterprises

Icahn Enterprises L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the investment, energy, automotive, food packaging, real estate, home fashion, and pharma businesses in the United States and Internationally. The Investment segment invests its proprietary capital through various private investment funds. This segment provides investment advisory and other related services. The Energy segment refines and markets transportation fuels in the form of gasoline and diesel fuels, as well as renewable diesel; and manufactures nitrogen fertilizers in the form of urea ammonium nitrate and ammonia. The Automotive segment sells automotive parts and materials, and retailed merchandise; offers automotive repair and maintenance services; and leases real estate properties. The Food Packaging segment produces and sells cellulosic, fibrous, and plastic casings that are used to prepare and package processed meat products. The Real Estate segment is involved in the leasing of land, retail, office, and industrial properties; the development and sale of single-family homes; and the operation of country clubs. The Home Fashion segment manufactures, sources, markets, distributes, and sells home fashion consumer products. The Pharma segment offers pharmaceutical products and services. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

About Dynagas LNG Partners

Dynagas LNG Partners LP, through its subsidiaries, operates in the seaborne transportation industry in Greece and internationally. The company owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. Its fleet consists of six LNG carriers with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 914,000 cubic meters. Dynagas GP LLC serves as the general partner of Dynagas LNG Partners LP. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.