Head to Head Contrast: Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) & Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) and Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Volatility & Risk

Helix Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its share price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Weatherford International has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Helix Energy Solutions Group and Weatherford International”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Helix Energy Solutions Group	$1.30 billion	0.98	$30.83 million	$0.10	86.75
Weatherford International	$4.88 billion	1.35	$431.00 million	$6.39	14.34

Weatherford International has higher revenue and earnings than Helix Energy Solutions Group. Weatherford International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Helix Energy Solutions Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Helix Energy Solutions Group and Weatherford International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Helix Energy Solutions Group	1.10%	1.82%	1.09%
Weatherford International	9.49%	28.31%	8.95%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

91.3% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.2% of Weatherford International shares are held by institutional investors. 6.8% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Weatherford International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Helix Energy Solutions Group and Weatherford International, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Helix Energy Solutions Group	1	1	2	0	2.25
Weatherford International	0	3	7	1	2.82

Helix Energy Solutions Group currently has a consensus price target of $11.50, suggesting a potential upside of 32.56%. Weatherford International has a consensus price target of $110.67, suggesting a potential upside of 20.78%. Given Helix Energy Solutions Group’s higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Helix Energy Solutions Group is more favorable than Weatherford International.

Summary

Weatherford International beats Helix Energy Solutions Group on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments. It engages in the installation of flowlines, control umbilicals, and manifold assemblies and risers; trenching and burial of pipelines; installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly; commissioning, testing, and inspection activities; and provision of cable and umbilical lay, and connection services. The company also provides well intervention, intervention engineering, and production enhancement services; coiled tubing operations; inspection, repair, and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines, and subsea equipment; and related support services. In addition, it offers reclamation and remediation services; well plug and abandonment services; pipeline, cable and umbilical abandonment services; and site inspections. Additionally, the company offers oil and natural gas processing facilities and services; and fast response system, as well as site clearance and subsea support services. Further, it provides offshore oilfield decommissioning and reclamation, project management, engineered solutions, intervention, maintenance, repair, heavy lift, and commercial diving services. It serves independent oil and gas producers and suppliers, pipeline transmission companies, renewable energy companies, and offshore engineering and construction firms. The company was formerly known as Cal Dive International, Inc. and changed its name to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. in March 2006. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Weatherford International

Weatherford International plc, an energy services company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil, geothermal, and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Drilling and Evaluation; Well Construction and Completions; and Production and Intervention. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and software, automation and flow measurement solutions. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high temperature and high pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; rotating control devices and advanced automated control systems, as well as closed loop drilling, air drilling, managed-pressure drilling, and underbalanced drilling services; open-hole and cased-hole logging services; and intervention and remediation services. Further, it provides tubular handling, management, and connection services; and re-entry, fishing, and well abandonment services, as well as patented bottom hole, tubular-handling equipment, pressure-control equipment, and drill pipe and collars. The company was incorporated in 1972 and is based in Houston, Texas.