Comparing Woodside Energy Group (NYSE:WDS) & Meren Energy (OTCMKTS:AOIFF)

Meren Energy (OTCMKTS:AOIFF) and Woodside Energy Group (NYSE:WDS) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Meren Energy and Woodside Energy Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Meren Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00
Woodside Energy Group	0	2	0	1	2.67

Insider & Institutional Ownership

3.2% of Woodside Energy Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Meren Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Woodside Energy Group 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.

Volatility & Risk

Meren Energy has a beta of 0.53, indicating that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Woodside Energy Group has a beta of 0.38, indicating that its stock price is 62% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Meren Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.9%. Woodside Energy Group pays an annual dividend of $1.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.1%. Meren Energy pays out -26.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Meren Energy and Woodside Energy Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Meren Energy	N/A	3.52%	1.68%
Woodside Energy Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Meren Energy and Woodside Energy Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Meren Energy	N/A	N/A	-$279.10 million	($0.52)	-3.04
Woodside Energy Group	$12.98 billion	3.25	$2.72 billion	N/A	N/A

Woodside Energy Group has higher revenue and earnings than Meren Energy.

Summary

Meren Energy beats Woodside Energy Group on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Meren Energy

Africa Oil Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an oil and gas exploration and production company in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The company holds interests in producing and development assets in deep-water Nigeria, and development assets in Kenya. It also has a portfolio of exploration and appraisal assets in Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as Guyana and Senegal Guinea Bissau Joint Development Zone. The company was formerly known as Canmex Minerals Corporation and changed its name to Africa Oil Corp. in August 2007. Africa Oil Corp. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Woodside Energy Group

Woodside Energy Group Ltd engages in the exploration, evaluation, development, production, and marketing of hydrocarbons in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and the Europe. The company produces liquefied natural gas, pipeline gas, crude oil and condensate, and natural gas liquids. It holds interests in the Pluto LNG, North West Shelf, Wheatstone and Julimar-Brunello, Bass Strait, Ngujima-Yin FPSO, Okha FPSO, Pyrenees FPSO, Macedon, Shenzi, Mad dog, Greater Angostura, as well as Scarborough, Sangomar, Trion, Calypso, Browse, Liard, Atlantis, Woodside Solar opportunity, and Sunrise and Troubadour. The company involves in development of new energy products and carbon services. The company was formerly known as Woodside Petroleum Ltd and changed its name to Woodside Energy Group Ltd in May 2022. Woodside Energy Group Ltd was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia.