Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) and Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) Head-To-Head Survey

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) and Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Core Laboratories and Dawson Geophysical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Core Laboratories	5.73%	14.15%	6.18%
Dawson Geophysical	-13.89%	-44.29%	-22.22%

Risk & Volatility

Core Laboratories has a beta of 1.41, meaning that its share price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Dawson Geophysical has a beta of -0.06, meaning that its share price is 106% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

97.8% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.9% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Core Laboratories and Dawson Geophysical, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Core Laboratories	0	3	0	0	2.00
Dawson Geophysical	0	0	0	0	0.00

Core Laboratories currently has a consensus target price of $12.50, indicating a potential upside of 20.95%. Given Core Laboratories’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Core Laboratories is more favorable than Dawson Geophysical.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Core Laboratories and Dawson Geophysical”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Core Laboratories	$517.38 million	0.94	$31.40 million	$0.62	16.67
Dawson Geophysical	$74.15 million	0.61	-$4.12 million	($0.26)	-5.63

Core Laboratories has higher revenue and earnings than Dawson Geophysical. Dawson Geophysical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Core Laboratories, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Core Laboratories beats Dawson Geophysical on 13 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Core Laboratories

Core Laboratories Inc. provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs. It offers laboratory-based analytical and field services to characterize properties of crude oil and oil delivered products; and proprietary and joint industry studies, as well as services that support carbon capture, utilization and storage, geothermal projects, and the evaluation and appraisal of mining activities. The Production Enhancement segment provides services and products relating to reservoir well completions, perforations, stimulations, production, and well abandonment. It offers integrated diagnostic services to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of well completions and to develop solutions to improve the effectiveness of enhanced oil recovery projects. The company markets and sells its products through a combination of sales representatives, technical seminars, trade shows, and print advertising, as well as through distributors. Core Laboratories Inc. was founded in 1936 and is based in Houston, Texas.

About Dawson Geophysical

Dawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States and Canada. The company acquires and processes 2-D, 3-D, and multi-component seismic data for its clients, including oil and gas companies, and independent oil and gas operators, as well as providers of multi-client data libraries and carbon capture sequestration projects. Its seismic crews supply seismic data primarily to companies engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas on land and in land-to-water transition areas, as well as potash mining industry. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas. Dawson Geophysical Company is a subsidiary of Wilks Brothers, LLC.