Head-To-Head Survey: Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) vs. Core Natural Resources (NYSE:CNR)

Core Natural Resources (NYSE:CNR) and Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Core Natural Resources and Sunoco’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Core Natural Resources	2.34%	0.03%	0.02%
Sunoco	2.88%	18.78%	4.29%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Core Natural Resources and Sunoco, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Core Natural Resources	0	2	3	1	2.83
Sunoco	0	1	8	1	3.00

Core Natural Resources currently has a consensus target price of $115.00, suggesting a potential upside of 25.07%. Sunoco has a consensus target price of $79.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5.35%. Given Core Natural Resources’ higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Core Natural Resources is more favorable than Sunoco.

Dividends

Core Natural Resources pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Sunoco pays an annual dividend of $4.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.3%. Core Natural Resources pays out 20.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sunoco pays out 88.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Sunoco has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Sunoco is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

86.5% of Core Natural Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.3% of Sunoco shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.5% of Core Natural Resources shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Core Natural Resources has a beta of 0.17, indicating that its share price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sunoco has a beta of 0.41, indicating that its share price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Core Natural Resources and Sunoco”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Core Natural Resources	$4.16 billion	1.10	-$153.22 million	$1.99	46.20
Sunoco	$25.20 billion	0.61	$527.00 million	$4.52	16.59

Sunoco has higher revenue and earnings than Core Natural Resources. Sunoco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Core Natural Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Sunoco beats Core Natural Resources on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Core Natural Resources

Core Natural Resources, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells bituminous coal in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pennsylvania Mining Complex (PAMC) and CONSOL Marine Terminal. The company’s PAMC segment engages in the mining, preparing, and marketing of bituminous coal to power generators, industrial end-users, and metallurgical end-users. This segment includes the Bailey Mine, the Enlow Fork Mine, the Harvey Mine, and the central preparation plant. Its CONSOL Marine Terminal segment provides coal export terminal services through the Port of Baltimore. The company also develops and operates the Itmann Mining Complex located in Wyoming County, West Virginia; and Greenfield Reserves and Resources located in the Northern Appalachian, Central Appalachian, and Illinois basins. The company was formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Core Natural Resources, Inc. in January 2025. Core Natural Resources, Inc. was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

About Sunoco

Sunoco LP, together with its subsidiaries, distributes and retails motor fuels in the United States. It operates through two segments: Fuel Distribution and Marketing, and All Other. The Fuel Distribution and Marketing segment purchases motor fuel, as well as other petroleum products, such as propane and lubricating oil from independent refiners and oil companies and supplies it to company-operated retail stores, independently operated commission agents, and retail stores, as well as other commercial customers, including unbranded retail stores, other fuel distributors, school districts, municipalities, and other industrial customers. It owns and operates retail stores under the APlus and Aloha Island Mart brand names; and offers food, beverages, snacks, grocery and non-food merchandise, motor fuels, and other services. The All Other segment includes partnership credit card services, franchise royalties, and retail operations; and offers credit card processing, car washes, lottery, automated teller machines, money order, prepaid phone cards, and wireless services. The company was formerly known as Susser Petroleum Partners LP and changed its name to Sunoco LP in 2014. Sunoco LP was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.