RPC (NYSE:RES) vs. Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) Head-To-Head Comparison

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) and RPC (NYSE:RES) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Bristow Group has a beta of 1.19, indicating that its stock price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, RPC has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bristow Group and RPC’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bristow Group	6.66%	9.82%	4.45%
RPC	1.28%	4.82%	3.60%

Dividends

Bristow Group pays an annual dividend of $0.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. RPC pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Bristow Group pays out 14.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. RPC pays out 177.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bristow Group and RPC”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bristow Group	$1.56 billion	0.81	$129.07 million	$3.47	12.28
RPC	$1.79 billion	0.72	$32.08 million	$0.09	64.94

Bristow Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than RPC. Bristow Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than RPC, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Bristow Group and RPC, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bristow Group	0	1	3	0	2.75
RPC	1	3	0	0	1.75

Bristow Group currently has a consensus target price of $60.00, indicating a potential upside of 40.78%. RPC has a consensus target price of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 2.65%. Given Bristow Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Bristow Group is more favorable than RPC.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

93.3% of Bristow Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 41.1% of RPC shares are held by institutional investors. 12.8% of Bristow Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 58.8% of RPC shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Bristow Group beats RPC on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc. provides vertical flight solutions. The company primarily offers aviation services to integrated, national, and independent offshore energy companies and government agencies. It also provides personnel transportation, search and rescue, medevac, ad hoc helicopter, fixed wing transportation, unmanned systems, and ad-hoc helicopter services, as well as logistical and maintenance support, training services, and flight and maintenance crews. The company has a fleet of aircrafts. It has customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, India, Ireland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad, the United Kingdom, and United States. Bristow Group Inc. is based in Houston, Texas.

About RPC

RPC, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages provision of a range of oilfield services and equipment for the oil and gas companies involved in the exploration, production, and development of oil and gas properties. The company operates through Technical Services and Support Services segments. The Technical Services segment offers pressure pumping, fracturing, acidizing, cementing, downhole tools, coiled tubing, snubbing, nitrogen, well control, wireline, pump down, and fishing services that are used in the completion, production, and maintenance of oil and gas wells. The Support Services segment provides a range of rental tools for onshore and offshore oil and gas well drilling, completion, and workover activities. This segment also offers oilfield pipe inspection, and pipe management and storage services, as well as well control training and consulting services. It operates in the United States, Africa, Canada, Argentina, China, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East, and internationally. The company was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.