GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) & Veren (NYSE:VRN) Head-To-Head Review

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) and Veren (NYSE:VRN) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares GeoPark and Veren”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
GeoPark	$716.84 million	0.66	$111.07 million	$1.97	4.68
Veren	$2.59 billion	1.26	$422.48 million	$1.40	3.81

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

Risk & Volatility

GeoPark has a beta of 1.34, suggesting that its share price is 34% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Veren has a beta of 2.1, suggesting that its share price is 110% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

GeoPark pays an annual dividend of $0.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. Veren pays an annual dividend of $0.33 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.2%. GeoPark pays out 29.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Veren pays out 23.6% 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for GeoPark and Veren, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
GeoPark	0	0	2	0	3.00
Veren	0	0	2	1	3.33

GeoPark currently has a consensus price target of $12.50, indicating a potential upside of 35.65%. Veren has a consensus price target of $12.67, indicating a potential upside of 137.43%. Given Veren’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Veren is more favorable than GeoPark.

Profitability

This table compares GeoPark and Veren’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
GeoPark	14.97%	57.93%	10.60%
Veren	26.93%	12.23%	6.80%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

68.2% of GeoPark shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.4% of Veren shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of GeoPark shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Veren shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Veren beats GeoPark on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About GeoPark

GeoPark Limited operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company primarily in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries. It engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves. The company was formerly known as GeoPark Holdings Limited and changed its name to GeoPark Limited in July 2013. GeoPark Limited was founded in 2002 and is based in Bogotá, Colombia.

About Veren

Veren Inc. explores, develops, and produces oil and gas properties in Canada and the United States. The company focuses on crude oil, tight oil, natural gas liquids, shale gas, and natural gas reserves. Its properties are located in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba; and the states of North Dakota. The company was formerly known as Crescent Point Energy Corp. and changed its name to Veren Inc. in May 2024. Veren Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.