Contrasting Oil States International (NYSE:OIS) and Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX)

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) and Oil States International (NYSE:OIS) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

91.3% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.4% of Oil States International shares are held by institutional investors. 6.8% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.6% of Oil States International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Helix Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 1.17, meaning that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Oil States International has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Helix Energy Solutions Group	3.04%	2.95%	1.79%
Oil States International	-16.78%	4.28%	2.87%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Helix Energy Solutions Group and Oil States International, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Helix Energy Solutions Group	0	2	1	0	2.33
Oil States International	1	1	2	0	2.25

Helix Energy Solutions Group currently has a consensus price target of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 31.83%. Oil States International has a consensus price target of $11.33, suggesting a potential upside of 34.78%. Given Oil States International’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Oil States International is more favorable than Helix Energy Solutions Group.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Helix Energy Solutions Group and Oil States International”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Helix Energy Solutions Group	$1.35 billion	1.16	$30.83 million	$0.27	39.33
Oil States International	$668.99 million	0.76	-$109.38 million	($1.89)	-4.45

Helix Energy Solutions Group has higher revenue and earnings than Oil States International. Oil States 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.

Summary

Helix Energy Solutions Group beats Oil States International on 8 of the 14 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 Oil States International

Oil States International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides engineered capital equipment and products for the energy, industrial, and military sectors worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Well Site Services, Downhole Technologies, and Offshore/Manufactured Products. The Well Site Services segment offers a range of equipment and services that are used to drill for, establish, and maintain the flow of oil and natural gas from a well throughout its lifecycle. It also provides wireline support, frac stacks, isolation tools, downhole and extended reach activity, well testing and flowback operations, sand control, and land drilling services. The Downhole Technologies segment provides oil and gas perforation systems, and downhole tools in support of completion, intervention, wireline, and well abandonment operations. This segment also designs, manufactures, and markets its consumable engineered products to oilfield service, and exploration and production companies. The Offshore/Manufactured Products segment designs, manufactures, and markets capital equipment utilized on floating production systems, subsea pipeline infrastructure, and offshore drilling rigs and vessels. Its products include flexible bearings, advanced connector systems, high-pressure riser systems, managed pressure drilling systems, deepwater mooring systems, cranes, subsea pipeline products, and blow-out preventer stack integration products. This segment also provides short-cycle products, such as valves, elastomers, and other specialty products that are used in the land-based drilling and completion markets; and other products for use in industrial, military, alternative energy, and other applications. In addition, it offers specialty welding, fabrication, cladding and machining, offshore installation, and inspection and repair services. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.