Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) versus China Coal Energy (OTCMKTS:CCOZY) Head-To-Head Contrast

Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) and China Coal Energy (OTCMKTS:CCOZY) are both energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Natural Resource Partners	65.19%	27.76%	19.93%
China Coal Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Natural Resource Partners	0	0	0	0	0.00
China Coal Energy	1	0	0	0	1.00

Institutional and Insider Ownership

31.8% of Natural Resource Partners shares are held by institutional investors. 35.3% of Natural Resource Partners shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Natural Resource Partners has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, China Coal Energy has a beta of -0.18, suggesting that its stock price is 118% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Natural Resource Partners	$268.01 million	5.03	$183.64 million	$10.64	9.78
China Coal Energy	$27.30 billion	0.65	$2.85 billion	$3.98	6.69

China Coal Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Natural Resource Partners. China Coal Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Natural Resource Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Natural Resource Partners pays an annual dividend of $3.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. China Coal Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.15 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Natural Resource Partners pays out 28.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. China Coal Energy pays out 28.9% 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.

Summary

Natural Resource Partners beats China Coal Energy on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners L.P., together with its subsidiaries, owns, manages, and leases a portfolio of mineral properties in the United States. It operates in two segments, Mineral Rights and Soda Ash. The company owns interests in coal, soda ash, trona, and other natural resources. Its coal reserves are primarily located in the Appalachia Basin, the Illinois Basin, and the Northern Powder River Basin in the United States; industrial minerals and aggregates properties located in the United States; and oil and gas properties located in Louisiana. The company leases a portion of its reserves in exchange for royalty payments; and owns and leases transportation and processing infrastructure related to coal properties. NRP (GP) LP serves as the general partner of the company. Natural Resource Partners L.P. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About China Coal Energy

China Coal Energy Company Limited primarily engages in the coal production and trading and coal chemical businesses in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers polyolefin, methanol, urea, and other coal chemical products. It is also involved in the coal mining equipment manufacturing, pithead power generation, and other activities. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Coal Energy Company Limited operates as a subsidiary of China National Coal Group Co., Ltd.