Head-To-Head Survey: NXT Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:NSFDF) and Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII)

NXT Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:NSFDF) and Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) are both energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation and profitability.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares NXT Energy Solutions and Oceaneering International”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NXT Energy Solutions	$470,000.00	85.78	-$6.62 million	($0.04)	-9.25
Oceaneering International	$2.77 billion	0.84	$147.47 million	$1.98	11.67

Oceaneering International has higher revenue and earnings than NXT Energy Solutions. NXT Energy Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Oceaneering International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

26.2% of NXT Energy Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.9% of Oceaneering International shares are owned by institutional investors. 34.1% of NXT Energy Solutions shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Oceaneering International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for NXT Energy Solutions and Oceaneering International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NXT Energy Solutions	0	0	0	0	0.00
Oceaneering International	0	5	1	0	2.17

Oceaneering International has a consensus price target of $27.00, indicating a potential upside of 16.88%. Given Oceaneering International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Oceaneering International is more favorable than NXT Energy Solutions.

Profitability

This table compares NXT Energy Solutions and Oceaneering International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NXT Energy Solutions	N/A	-65.19%	-22.05%
Oceaneering International	7.31%	22.09%	7.25%

Risk & Volatility

NXT Energy Solutions has a beta of 1.53, meaning that its stock price is 53% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Oceaneering International has a beta of 1.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Oceaneering International beats NXT Energy Solutions on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NXT Energy Solutions

NXT Energy Solutions Inc., a technology company, provides services to the oil and gas industry through its proprietary stress field detection (SFD) technology worldwide. Its SFD technology, a remote sensing airborne survey system utilizes quantum-scale sensors to detect gravity field perturbations in an airborne survey method which can be used onshore and offshore to remotely identify traps and reservoirs with hydrocarbon and geothermal exploration potential. The company was formerly known as Energy Exploration Technologies Inc. and changed its name to NXT Energy Solutions Inc. in September 2008. NXT Energy Solutions Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

About Oceaneering International

Oceaneering International, Inc. provides engineered services and products, and robotic solutions to the offshore energy, defense, aerospace, manufacturing, and entertainment industries worldwide. It operates through Subsea Robotics, Manufactured Products, Offshore Projects Group, Integrity Management & Digital Solutions, and Aerospace and Defense Technologies segments. The company offers remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for drill support and vessel-based services, including subsea hardware installation, construction, pipeline inspection, survey and facilities inspection, maintenance, and repair; ROV tooling; and survey services, such as hydrographic survey, positioning services, and autonomous underwater vehicles for geoscience. It also provides distribution and connection systems, including production control umbilicals and field development hardware, pipeline connection, and repair systems to the energy industry; and autonomous mobile robotic technology and entertainment systems to various industries. In addition, the company offers subsea installation and intervention, including riserless light well intervention inspection, maintenance, and repair services; installation and workover control systems, and ROV workover control systems; diving services; project management and engineering; and drill pipe riser services and systems, and wellhead load relief solutions. Further, it provides asset integrity management, software and analytical solutions for the bulk cargo maritime industry, and software, digital, and connectivity solutions for the energy industry, as well as government services and products, including engineering and related manufacturing in defense and space exploration activities to the United States' government agencies and their prime contractors. Oceaneering International, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.