Contrasting Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) & Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS)

Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS) and Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

51.6% of Vitesse Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.8% of Northern Oil and Gas shares are owned by institutional investors. 18.2% of Vitesse Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of Northern Oil and Gas shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Vitesse Energy and Northern Oil and Gas”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vitesse Energy	$242.00 million	3.47	$21.06 million	$0.50	43.45
Northern Oil and Gas	$2.23 billion	0.99	$520.31 million	$1.77	12.77

Northern Oil and Gas has higher revenue and earnings than Vitesse Energy. Northern Oil and Gas is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vitesse Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Vitesse Energy and Northern Oil and Gas, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vitesse Energy	0	5	2	0	2.29
Northern Oil and Gas	1	5	4	1	2.45

Vitesse Energy presently has a consensus target price of $24.50, suggesting a potential upside of 12.78%. Northern Oil and Gas has a consensus target price of $33.25, suggesting a potential upside of 47.12%. Given Northern Oil and Gas’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Northern Oil and Gas is more favorable than Vitesse Energy.

Volatility and Risk

Vitesse Energy has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Northern Oil and Gas has a beta of 1.05, meaning that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Vitesse Energy and Northern Oil and Gas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vitesse Energy	7.70%	5.71%	3.87%
Northern Oil and Gas	7.61%	20.61%	8.60%

Dividends

Vitesse Energy pays an annual dividend of $2.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.4%. Northern Oil and Gas pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.0%. Vitesse Energy pays out 450.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Northern Oil and Gas pays out 101.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Vitesse Energy has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Northern Oil and Gas has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Summary

Northern Oil and Gas beats Vitesse Energy on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vitesse Energy

Vitesse Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, development, and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It owns and acquires non-operated working interest and royalty interest ownership in the Williston Basin properties located in North Dakota and Montana. The company also owns non-operated interests in the Central Rockies properties located in Colorado and Wyoming. Vitesse Energy, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Centennial, Colorado.

About Northern Oil and Gas

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It primarily holds interests in the Williston Basin, the Appalachian Basin, and the Permian Basin in the United States. The company is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.