Head to Head Comparison: Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) & Blue Dolphin Energy (OTCMKTS:BDCO)

Blue Dolphin Energy (OTCMKTS:BDCO) and Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) are both energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Blue Dolphin Energy and Northern Oil and Gas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Blue Dolphin Energy	-2.82%	-24.22%	-7.98%
Northern Oil and Gas	23.62%	22.12%	9.49%

Risk and Volatility

Blue Dolphin Energy has a beta of 0.26, indicating that its share price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Northern Oil and Gas has a beta of 1.48, indicating that its share price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

98.8% of Northern Oil and Gas shares are held by institutional investors. 88.3% of Blue Dolphin Energy shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of Northern Oil and Gas shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Blue Dolphin Energy and Northern Oil and Gas, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Blue Dolphin Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00
Northern Oil and Gas	1	5	4	1	2.45

Northern Oil and Gas has a consensus price target of $33.00, suggesting a potential upside of 50.41%. Given Northern Oil and Gas’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Northern Oil and Gas is more favorable than Blue Dolphin Energy.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Blue Dolphin Energy and Northern Oil and Gas”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Blue Dolphin Energy	$317.52 million	0.07	-$8.64 million	($0.54)	-2.70
Northern Oil and Gas	$2.19 billion	0.98	$520.31 million	$1.77	12.40

Northern Oil and Gas has higher revenue and earnings than Blue Dolphin Energy. Blue Dolphin Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Northern Oil and Gas, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Northern Oil and Gas beats Blue Dolphin Energy on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Blue Dolphin Energy

Blue Dolphin Energy Company, an independent downstream energy company, engages in the refining and marketing of petroleum products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Refinery Operations, and Tolling and Terminaling. The company produces finished products, including jet fuel, as well as various intermediate products, such as naphtha, heavy oil mud blendstock, and atmospheric gas oil; and conducts tolling and terminaling services at the Nixon facility. It also provides storage tank rentals and ancillary services. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Blue Dolphin Energy Company is a subsidiary of Lazarus Energy Holdings, LLC.

About Northern Oil and Gas

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It primarily holds interests in the Williston Basin, the Appalachian Basin, and the Permian Basin in the United States. The company is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.