Head to Head Comparison: Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) versus Prairie Operating (NASDAQ:PROP)

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) and Prairie Operating (NASDAQ:PROP) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

Occidental Petroleum has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Prairie Operating has a beta of 3.13, suggesting that its stock price is 213% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Occidental Petroleum and Prairie Operating’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Occidental Petroleum	11.37%	16.33%	5.05%
Prairie Operating	N/A	-110.71%	-78.09%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

88.7% of Occidental Petroleum shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.3% of Prairie Operating shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Occidental Petroleum shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 15.4% of Prairie Operating shares are held by 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Occidental Petroleum and Prairie Operating”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Occidental Petroleum	$27.55 billion	1.55	$4.70 billion	$2.46	17.63
Prairie Operating	$7.94 million	22.50	-$79.08 million	($3.00)	-1.39

Occidental Petroleum has higher revenue and earnings than Prairie Operating. Prairie Operating is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Occidental Petroleum, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Occidental Petroleum and Prairie Operating, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Occidental Petroleum	2	14	5	0	2.14
Prairie Operating	0	0	2	0	3.00

Occidental Petroleum presently has a consensus price target of $53.48, suggesting a potential upside of 23.30%. Prairie Operating has a consensus price target of $9.50, suggesting a potential upside of 128.37%. Given Prairie Operating’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Prairie Operating is more favorable than Occidental Petroleum.

Summary

Occidental Petroleum beats Prairie Operating on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa. It operates through three segments: Oil and Gas, Chemical, and Midstream and Marketing. The company's Oil and Gas segment explores for, develops, and produces oil and condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas. Its Chemical segment manufactures and markets basic chemicals, including chlorine, caustic soda, chlorinated organics, potassium chemicals, ethylene dichloride, chlorinated isocyanurates, sodium silicates, and calcium chloride; and vinyls comprising vinyl chloride monomer, polyvinyl chloride, and ethylene. The Midstream and Marketing segment gathers, processes, transports, stores, purchases, and markets oil, condensate, NGLs, natural gas, carbon dioxide, and power. This segment also invests in entities. Occidental Petroleum Corporation was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Prairie Operating

Prairie Operating Co., an independent energy company, engages in the development, exploration, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company holds assets in the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado; and the Niobrara and Codell formations. Prairie Operating Co. is based in Houston Texas.