Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) versus Air China (OTCMKTS:AIRYY) Financial Contrast

Air China (OTCMKTS:AIRYY) and Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Volatility and Risk

Air China has a beta of -0.09, indicating that its stock price is 109% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bristow Group has a beta of 1.42, indicating that its stock price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

93.3% of Bristow Group shares are held by institutional investors. 13.4% of Bristow Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Air China	0.19%	0.79%	0.09%
Bristow Group	9.71%	14.83%	6.43%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Air China and Bristow Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Air China	$23.19 billion	0.64	-$32.35 million	$0.02	892.50
Bristow Group	$1.42 billion	0.75	$94.80 million	$4.78	7.67

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Air China and Bristow Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Air China	0	0	0	0	0.00
Bristow Group	0	0	1	0	3.00

Summary

Bristow Group beats Air China on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Air China

Air China Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides air passenger, air cargo, and airline-related services in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, China, and internationally. The company operates in Airline Operations and Other Operations segments. It provides aircraft engineering and airport ground handling services. The company is also involved in the import and export trading activities; and provision of cabin, airline catering, air ticketing, human resources, aircraft overhaul and maintenance, and financial services. Air China Limited was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

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.