Head to Head Review: Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) and Halcon Resources (OTCMKTS:HKRSQ)

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) and Halcon Resources (OTCMKTS:HKRSQ) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Vital Energy and Halcon Resources, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vital Energy	3	5	4	0	2.08
Halcon Resources	0	0	0	0	0.00

Vital Energy currently has a consensus price target of $47.67, indicating a potential upside of 49.71%. Given Vital Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Vital Energy is more favorable than Halcon Resources.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

86.5% of Vital Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Vital Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.1% of Halcon Resources shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Vital Energy and Halcon Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vital Energy	25.09%	9.05%	4.65%
Halcon Resources	-324.96%	-238.22%	-73.12%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Vital Energy and Halcon Resources”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vital Energy	$1.55 billion	0.78	$695.08 million	$14.28	2.23
Halcon Resources	$224.68 million	0.05	-$1.17 billion	N/A	N/A

Vital Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Halcon Resources.

Summary

Vital Energy beats Halcon Resources on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vital Energy

Vital Energy, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc. and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc. in January 2023. Vital Energy, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About Halcon Resources

Halcón Resources Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, production, exploration, and development of onshore oil and natural gas assets in the United States. As of December 31, 2018, the company held interests in 56,900 net acres in the Delaware Basin, located in Pecos, Reeves, Ward, and Winkler Counties, Texas. As of December 31, 2018, it had estimated proved reserves of approximately 85.2 million barrels of oil equivalent comprising 50.7 million barrels of crude oil, 17.1 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and 104.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was formerly known as RAM Energy Resources, Inc. and changed its name to Halcón Resources Corporation in February 2012. Halcón Resources Corporation was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. On August 7, 2019, Halcón Resources Corporation along with its affiliates filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern District of Texas.