Western Energy Services (OTCMKTS:WEEEF – Get Free Report) and Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and risk.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
91.3% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 50.0% of Western Energy Services shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Helix Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Western Energy Services and Helix Energy Solutions Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Western Energy Services | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Helix Energy Solutions Group | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.50 |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Western Energy Services and Helix Energy Solutions Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Western Energy Services | $155.66 million | 0.50 | -$18.61 million | ($0.55) | -4.15 |
| Helix Energy Solutions Group | $1.29 billion | 1.07 | $30.83 million | $0.21 | 44.69 |
Helix Energy Solutions Group has higher revenue and earnings than Western Energy Services. Western Energy Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Helix Energy Solutions Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Western Energy Services and Helix Energy Solutions Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Western Energy Services | -11.90% | -0.22% | -0.16% |
| Helix Energy Solutions Group | 2.39% | 2.88% | 1.71% |
Volatility and Risk
Western Energy Services has a beta of 0.34, indicating that its stock price is 66% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Helix Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its stock price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Helix Energy Solutions Group beats Western Energy Services on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Western Energy Services
Western Energy Services Corp. operates as an oilfield service company in Canada and the United States. It operates through Contract Drilling and Production Services segments. The Contract Drilling segment provides contract drilling services using drilling rigs and auxiliary equipment. The Production Services segment offers well servicing rig and related equipment, as well as rental equipment services. Western Energy Services Corp. is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
About Helix Energy Solutions Group
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments. It engages in the installation of flowlines, control umbilicals, and manifold assemblies and risers; trenching and burial of pipelines; installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly; commissioning, testing, and inspection activities; and provision of cable and umbilical lay, and connection services. The company also provides well intervention, intervention engineering, and production enhancement services; coiled tubing operations; inspection, repair, and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines, and subsea equipment; and related support services. In addition, it offers reclamation and remediation services; well plug and abandonment services; pipeline, cable and umbilical abandonment services; and site inspections. Additionally, the company offers oil and natural gas processing facilities and services; and fast response system, as well as site clearance and subsea support services. Further, it provides offshore oilfield decommissioning and reclamation, project management, engineered solutions, intervention, maintenance, repair, heavy lift, and commercial diving services. It serves independent oil and gas producers and suppliers, pipeline transmission companies, renewable energy companies, and offshore engineering and construction firms. The company was formerly known as Cal Dive International, Inc. and changed its name to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. in March 2006. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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