Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) and Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) Head-To-Head Analysis

Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) and Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

Dividends

Crescent Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Viper Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Crescent Energy pays out 37.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Viper Energy pays out 40.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Crescent Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

52.1% of Crescent Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.7% of Viper Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.2% of Crescent Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Viper Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Crescent Energy and Viper Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Crescent Energy	2.84%	13.30%	2.94%
Viper Energy	24.17%	8.29%	6.24%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Crescent Energy and Viper Energy’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Crescent Energy	$2.38 billion	0.83	$67.61 million	$1.29	8.54
Viper Energy	$827.70 million	8.36	$200.09 million	$2.70	14.50

Viper Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Crescent Energy. Crescent Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Viper Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Crescent Energy and Viper Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Crescent Energy	0	1	5	1	3.00
Viper Energy	0	0	7	0	3.00

Crescent Energy currently has a consensus target price of $16.38, suggesting a potential upside of 48.66%. Viper Energy has a consensus target price of $40.50, suggesting a potential upside of 3.47%. Given Crescent Energy’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Crescent Energy is more favorable than Viper Energy.

Risk & Volatility

Crescent Energy has a beta of 2.24, indicating that its share price is 124% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Viper Energy has a beta of 1.79, indicating that its share price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500.

About Crescent Energy

Crescent Energy Company, an energy company, acquires, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) reserves. The company holds a portfolio of oil and natural gas assets in key proven regions, including the Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Utica, and Rockies in the United States. The company is based in Houston, Texas.

About Viper Energy

Viper Energy, Inc. owns and acquires mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, North America. Viper Energy Partners GP LLC operates as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Viper Energy Partners LP and changed its name to Viper Energy, Inc. in November 2023. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Midland, Texas. Viper Energy, Inc. is a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, Inc.