Prairie Operating (NASDAQ:PROP) versus California Resources (OTCMKTS:CRCQQ) Financial Review

Prairie Operating (NASDAQ:PROP) and California Resources (OTCMKTS:CRCQQ) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Prairie Operating and California Resources”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Prairie Operating	$21.53 million	7.84	-$79.08 million	($3.00)	-1.28
California Resources	$2.63 billion	0.00	-$28.00 million	N/A	N/A

California Resources has higher revenue and earnings than Prairie Operating.

Profitability

This table compares Prairie Operating and California Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Prairie Operating	N/A	-110.71%	-78.09%
California Resources	-95.33%	-4.31%	-3.78%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Prairie Operating and California Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Prairie Operating	0	0	4	0	3.00
California Resources	0	0	0	0	0.00

Prairie Operating presently has a consensus target price of $8.75, indicating a potential upside of 127.27%. Given Prairie Operating’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Prairie Operating is more favorable than California Resources.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

34.3% of Prairie Operating shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.7% of California Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 15.4% of Prairie Operating shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of California Resources shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

About Prairie Operating

Prairie Operating Co., an independent energy company, engages in the development, exploration, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company holds assets in the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado; and the Niobrara and Codell formations. Prairie Operating Co. is based in Houston Texas.

About California Resources

California Resources Corporation operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company in the State of California. The company sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids to marketers, California refineries, and other purchasers that have access to transportation and storage facilities. It holds interests in approximately 2.2 million net acres of mineral acreage. As of December 31, 2019, the company had net proved reserves of 644 million barrels of oil equivalent. It also engages in the generation and sale of electricity to the grid and utility customers. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Los Angeles, California. On July 15, 2020, California Resources Corporation, along with its affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.