Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) vs. CN Energy Group. (NASDAQ:CNEY) Financial Analysis

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) and CN Energy Group. (NASDAQ:CNEY) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Vital Energy and CN Energy Group.”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vital Energy	$1.95 billion	0.36	-$173.52 million	($34.87)	-0.52
CN Energy Group.	$50.96 million	0.07	-$14.04 million	N/A	N/A

CN Energy Group. has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Vital Energy.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Vital Energy and CN Energy Group., as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vital Energy	4	7	1	0	1.75
CN Energy Group.	1	0	0	0	1.00

Vital Energy currently has a consensus price target of $27.22, suggesting a potential upside of 50.31%. Given Vital Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Vital Energy is more favorable than CN Energy Group..

Profitability

This table compares Vital Energy and CN Energy Group.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vital Energy	-69.28%	13.40%	5.79%
CN Energy Group.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

86.5% of Vital Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.6% of CN Energy Group. shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Vital Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Vital Energy has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CN Energy Group. has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vital Energy beats CN Energy Group. on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vital Energy

Vital Energy, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc. and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc. in January 2023. Vital Energy, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About CN Energy Group.

CN Energy Group. Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of wood-based activated carbon primarily in China. The company’s activated carbon is used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, water purification, environmental protection, and food and beverage production. It also engages in the generation and supply of biomass electricity; production of steam for heating; sale of minerals, stone, metal materials, construction materials, wood, chemical materials and products, rubber products, and paper products; management and conversion of forest and natural ecosystem; and forest acquisition, rights transfer, and nurturing, and timber harvesting and processing activities. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Lishui, China.