Analyzing Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) and Riverdale Oil and Gas (OTCMKTS:RVDO)

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) and Riverdale Oil and Gas (OTCMKTS:RVDO) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Murphy Oil and Riverdale Oil and Gas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Murphy Oil	13.44%	7.66%	4.28%
Riverdale Oil and Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Murphy Oil and Riverdale Oil and Gas, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Murphy Oil	1	9	3	0	2.15
Riverdale Oil and Gas	0	0	0	0	0.00

Murphy Oil currently has a consensus target price of $35.31, indicating a potential upside of 32.11%. Given Murphy Oil’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Murphy Oil is more favorable than Riverdale Oil and Gas.

Volatility and Risk

Murphy Oil has a beta of 2.18, meaning that its share price is 118% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Riverdale Oil and Gas has a beta of -8.49, meaning that its share price is 949% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Murphy Oil and Riverdale Oil and Gas”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Murphy Oil	$3.02 billion	1.29	$407.17 million	$2.69	9.93
Riverdale Oil and Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Murphy Oil has higher revenue and earnings than Riverdale Oil and Gas.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

78.3% of Murphy Oil shares are held by institutional investors. 5.9% of Murphy Oil shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 28.1% of Riverdale Oil and Gas shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Murphy Oil beats Riverdale Oil and Gas on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Murphy Oil

Murphy Oil Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company was formerly known as Murphy Corporation and changed its name to Murphy Oil Corporation in 1964. The company was incorporated in 1950 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Riverdale Oil and Gas

Riverdale Oil and Gas Corporation produces oil and gas in the United States. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.