Contrasting Sundance Energy Australia (OTCMKTS:SDCJF) & Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ)

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) and Sundance Energy Australia (OTCMKTS:SDCJF) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

74.0% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 5.0% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Canadian Natural Resources and Sundance Energy Australia”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Canadian Natural Resources	$30.25 billion	2.31	$6.10 billion	$2.57	12.85
Sundance Energy Australia	$164.93 million	0.06	-$28.14 million	N/A	N/A

Canadian Natural Resources has higher revenue and earnings than Sundance Energy Australia.

Volatility & Risk

Canadian Natural Resources has a beta of 1.5, indicating that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sundance Energy Australia has a beta of 3.96, indicating that its stock price is 296% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Canadian Natural Resources and Sundance Energy Australia’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Canadian Natural Resources	18.45%	20.07%	10.51%
Sundance Energy Australia	24.02%	13.45%	6.16%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Canadian Natural Resources and Sundance Energy Australia, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Canadian Natural Resources	0	4	0	0	2.00
Sundance Energy Australia	0	0	0	0	0.00

Canadian Natural Resources presently has a consensus price target of $51.00, suggesting a potential upside of 54.08%. Given Canadian Natural Resources’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Canadian Natural Resources is more favorable than Sundance Energy Australia.

Summary

Canadian Natural Resources beats Sundance Energy Australia on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Canadian Natural Resources

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO). The company’s midstream assets include two pipeline systems; and a 50% working interest in an 84-megawatt cogeneration plant at Primrose. It operates primarily in Western Canada; the United Kingdom portion of the North Sea; and Offshore Africa. The company was formerly known as AEX Minerals Corporation and changed its name to Canadian Natural Resources Limited in December 1975. Canadian Natural Resources Limited was incorporated in 1973 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

About Sundance Energy Australia

Sundance Energy Australia Limited operates as an onshore oil and gas company in the United States. The company explores for, develops, and produces oil and natural gas. Its exploration and development activities are focused on the Eagle Ford project in the South-Texas-Gulf Coast Basin. Sundance Energy Australia Limited was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Wayville, Australia.