Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS – Get Free Report) and PetroQuest Energy (OTCMKTS:PQUE – Get Free Report) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability and dividends.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Vitesse Energy and PetroQuest Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Vitesse Energy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| PetroQuest Energy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Vitesse Energy currently has a consensus target price of $29.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.84%. Given Vitesse Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Vitesse Energy is more favorable than PetroQuest Energy.
Risk and Volatility
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Vitesse Energy and PetroQuest Energy”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Vitesse Energy | $255.38 million | 2.85 | -$19.74 million | $1.46 | 16.86 |
| PetroQuest Energy | $108.29 million | 0.00 | -$6.63 million | ($0.55) | -0.04 |
PetroQuest Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Vitesse Energy. PetroQuest Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vitesse Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
51.6% of Vitesse Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.6% of PetroQuest Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.8% of Vitesse Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.8% of PetroQuest Energy shares are owned 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.
Profitability
This table compares Vitesse Energy and PetroQuest Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Vitesse Energy | 18.05% | 7.25% | 4.95% |
| PetroQuest Energy | -4.93% | N/A | -3.76% |
Summary
Vitesse Energy beats PetroQuest Energy on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Vitesse Energy
Vitesse Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, development, and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It owns and acquires non-operated working interest and royalty interest ownership in the Williston Basin properties located in North Dakota and Montana. The company also owns non-operated interests in the Central Rockies properties located in Colorado and Wyoming. Vitesse Energy, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Centennial, Colorado.
About PetroQuest Energy
PetroQuest Energy, Inc. operates as an independent oil and gas company in Texas and Louisiana. The company acquires, explores for, develops, and operates oil and gas properties. As of December 31, 2017, it had estimated proved reserves of 1.8 million barrels of oil; 19.4 billion cubic feet equivalent of natural gas liquids; and 125.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas. PetroQuest Energy, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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