Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) & Superior Energy Services (OTCMKTS:SPNX) Financial Analysis

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX – Get Rating) and Superior Energy Services (OTCMKTS:SPNX – Get Rating) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Helix Energy Solutions Group and Superior Energy Services’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Helix Energy Solutions Group	-10.05%	-4.85%	-3.21%
Superior Energy Services	32.41%	35.79%	23.38%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.8% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.1% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.3% of Superior Energy Services shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Helix Energy Solutions Group and Superior Energy Services, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Helix Energy Solutions Group	0	0	5	0	3.00
Superior Energy Services	0	0	0	0	N/A

Helix Energy Solutions Group currently has a consensus target price of $7.71, suggesting a potential upside of 6.91%. Given Helix Energy Solutions Group’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Helix Energy Solutions Group is more favorable than Superior Energy Services.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Helix Energy Solutions Group and Superior Energy Services’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Helix Energy Solutions Group	$873.10 million	1.26	-$87.78 million	($0.58)	-12.43
Superior Energy Services	$883.96 million	N/A	$106.60 million	$14.25	0.01

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

Summary

Superior Energy Services beats Helix Energy Solutions Group on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

(Get Rating)

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy company. It focuses on subsea construction, maintenance and salvage services to the offshore natural gas and oil industry. The firm also provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. The company operates through the following business segments: Well Intervention, Robotics and Production Facilities. The Well Intervention segment offers vessels and related equipment that are used to perform well intervention services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea regions. The Robotics segment involves four chartered vessels and also includes ROVs, trenchers and ROVDrills designed to complement offshore construction and well intervention services. The Production Facilities segment includes its investment in the Helix Producer I and Kommandor LLC. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

About Superior Energy Services

(Get Rating)

Superior Energy Services, Inc. provides oilfield services and equipment to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Drilling Products and Services, Onshore Completion and Workover Services, Production Services, and Technical Solutions. The Drilling Products and Services segment rents downhole drilling tools, including tubulars, such as primary drill pipe strings, landing strings, completion tubulars, and associated accessories, as well as manufactures and rents bottom hole tools comprising stabilizers, non-magnetic drill collars, and hole openers; and surfaces, such as temporary onshore and offshore accommodation modules and accessories. The Onshore Completion and Workover Services segment offers fluid management services used to obtain, move, store, and dispose of fluids that are involved in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas; and workover services consisting of installations, completions, and sidetracking of wells, as well as support for perforating operations. The Production Services segment provides intervention services, such as coiled tubing, cased hole and mechanical wireline, hydraulic workover and snubbing, pressure control, production testing and optimization, and remedial pumping services. The Technical Solutions segment offers well containment systems; completion tools and services, including sand control systems, well screens and filters, and surface-controlled sub surface safety valves; and well and sand control, and stimulation services. This segment also produces and sells oil and gas. Superior Energy Services, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. On December 7, 2020, Superior Energy Services, Inc., along with its affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.