Comparing Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) & NXT Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:NSFDF)

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) and NXT Energy Solutions (OTCMKTS:NSFDF) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and risk.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

97.8% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.2% of NXT Energy Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Core Laboratories shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 34.1% of NXT Energy Solutions shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Core Laboratories has a beta of 1.03, meaning that its stock price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NXT Energy Solutions has a beta of 1.4, meaning that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Core Laboratories and NXT Energy Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Core Laboratories	6.21%	12.85%	5.74%
NXT Energy Solutions	-29.96%	-49.12%	-22.61%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Core Laboratories and NXT Energy Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Core Laboratories	0	4	0	0	2.00
NXT Energy Solutions	0	0	0	0	0.00

Core Laboratories currently has a consensus target price of $12.50, suggesting a potential downside of 34.08%. Given Core Laboratories’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Core Laboratories is more favorable than NXT Energy Solutions.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Core Laboratories and NXT Energy Solutions”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Core Laboratories	$523.85 million	1.69	$31.40 million	$0.67	28.30
NXT Energy Solutions	$470,000.00	62.18	-$6.62 million	($0.04)	-6.16

Core Laboratories has higher revenue and earnings than NXT Energy Solutions. NXT Energy Solutions 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 NXT Energy Solutions on 10 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 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.