Akastor ASA (OTCMKTS:AKKVF) and CES Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:CESDF) Critical Review

Akastor ASA (OTCMKTS:AKKVF) and CES Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:CESDF) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and profitability.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Akastor ASA and CES Energy Solutions”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Akastor ASA	N/A	N/A	N/A	($1.62)	-0.74
CES Energy Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.29	23.62

Akastor ASA is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CES Energy Solutions, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Akastor ASA pays an annual dividend of $3.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 256.3%. CES Energy Solutions pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Akastor ASA pays out -189.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CES Energy Solutions pays out 97.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Akastor ASA is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Profitability

This table compares Akastor ASA and CES Energy Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Akastor ASA	N/A	N/A	N/A
CES Energy Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Akastor ASA and CES Energy Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Akastor ASA	0	0	0	0	0.00
CES Energy Solutions	0	0	2	1	3.33

Insider and Institutional Ownership

19.9% of Akastor ASA shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.9% of CES Energy Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

CES Energy Solutions beats Akastor ASA on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Akastor ASA

Akastor ASA operates as an oilfield services investment company in Norway and internationally. The company offers vessel-based subsea well construction and intervention services to the oil and gas industry. It also provides anchor handling, towing, and supply services to offshore oil and gas fields. In addition, the company offers a range of offshore drilling equipment products and packages. It owns offshore vessels and anchor handling tug supply vessels. Akastor ASA was founded in 1841 and is based in Bærum, Norway.

About CES Energy Solutions

CES Energy Solutions Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in design, implement, and manufacture of advanced consumable fluids and specialty chemicals in the United States and Canada. The company provides solutions for drill-bit, point of completion and stimulation, wellhead and pump-jack, and pipeline and midstream markets. Its solutions include corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers, H2S scavengers, paraffin control products, surfactants, scale inhibitors, biocides, and other specialty products. The company also designs and implements drilling fluid systems and completion solutions for oil and natural gas producers; designs and manufactures production and specialty chemicals for use in the oil and natural gas production and industrial markets; designs, blends, and sells specialty drilling fluids; designs, blends, and sells simulation and production chemicals for oil and gas producers; and operates trucks and trailers to transport drilling fluids to operators in the oil and gas industry. In addition, it provides environmental consulting, water management and transfer services, and drilling fluids waste disposal services; and laboratory services. The company was formerly known as Canadian Energy Services & Technology Corp. and changed its name to CES Energy Solutions Corp. in June 2017. CES Energy Solutions Corp. was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.