North American Construction Group (NOA) Competitors

Baytex Energy (TSE:BTE) and North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Do analysts prefer BTE or NOA?

Baytex Energy currently has a consensus target price of C$4.68, indicating a potential upside of 82.15%. North American Construction Group has a consensus target price of C$34.17, indicating a potential upside of 65.46%. Given Baytex Energy's higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Baytex Energy is more favorable than North American Construction Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Baytex Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40
North American Construction Group	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the media favor BTE or NOA?

In the previous week, North American Construction Group had 5 more articles in the media than Baytex Energy. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for North American Construction Group and 1 mentions for Baytex Energy. Baytex Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat North American Construction Group's score of -0.21 indicating that Baytex Energy is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Baytex Energy	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
North American Construction Group	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of BTE or NOA?

40.5% of Baytex Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.1% of North American Construction Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Baytex Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.9% of North American Construction Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is BTE or NOA more profitable?

North American Construction Group has a net margin of 4.80% compared to Baytex Energy's net margin of -10.45%. North American Construction Group's return on equity of 15.24% beat Baytex Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Baytex Energy	-10.45%	-8.96%	-0.08%
North American Construction Group	4.80%	15.24%	6.65%

Which has higher valuation and earnings, BTE or NOA?

North American Construction Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Baytex Energy. Baytex Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than North American Construction Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Baytex Energy	C$3.33B	0.61	-C$347.90M	-C$0.44	-5.85
North American Construction Group	C$1.18B	0.47	C$56.80M	C$2.13	9.71

Is BTE or NOA a better dividend stock?

Baytex Energy pays an annual dividend of C$0.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. North American Construction Group pays an annual dividend of C$0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. Baytex Energy pays out -20.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. North American Construction Group pays out 18.8% 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. Baytex Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, BTE or NOA?

Baytex Energy has a beta of 2.61, meaning that its share price is 161% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, North American Construction Group has a beta of 1.59, meaning that its share price is 59% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

North American Construction Group beats Baytex Energy on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.