Reviewing Tidewater (NYSE:TDW) and PostRock Energy (OTCMKTS:PSTRQ)

Tidewater (NYSE:TDW) and PostRock Energy (OTCMKTS:PSTRQ) are both energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Tidewater and PostRock Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Tidewater	12.98%	15.97%	8.52%
PostRock Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Tidewater has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PostRock Energy has a beta of -2.27, meaning that its share price is 327% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

95.1% of Tidewater shares are held by institutional investors. 8.3% of Tidewater shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 79.2% of PostRock Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Tidewater and PostRock Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Tidewater	$1.35 billion	1.65	$180.66 million	$3.34	13.48
PostRock Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Tidewater has higher revenue and earnings than PostRock Energy.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Tidewater and PostRock Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Tidewater	0	2	2	0	2.50
PostRock Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00

Tidewater presently has a consensus price target of $69.33, indicating a potential upside of 54.04%. Given Tidewater’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Tidewater is more favorable than PostRock Energy.

Summary

Tidewater beats PostRock Energy on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tidewater

Tidewater Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore support vessels and marine support services to the offshore energy industry through the operation of a fleet of marine service vessels worldwide. It provides services in support of offshore oil and gas exploration, field development, and production, as well as windfarm development and maintenance, including towing of and anchor handling for mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover, and production activities; offshore construction, and seismic and subsea support; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; and various specialized services, such as pipe and cable laying. The company operates anchor handling towing supply vessels, platform supply vessels, crew boats, utility vessels, and offshore tugs. The company serves integrated and independent oil and gas exploration, field development, and production companies; mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations, and other related companies; offshore drilling contractors; and other companies, such as offshore construction, windfarm development, diving, and well stimulation companies. Tidewater Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About PostRock Energy

PostRock Energy Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and gathering of crude oil and natural gas. It focuses on the Cherokee Basin project in southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and central Oklahoma. The firm also owns and operates minor oil and gas producing properties in the Appalachian Basin. The company was founded in July 2009 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK.