Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) & Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) Critical Survey

Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) and Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) are both mid-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

52.1% of Crescent Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.0% of Antero Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 13.2% of Crescent Energy shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of Antero Resources shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Crescent Energy and Antero Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Crescent Energy	0.61%	13.41%	3.58%
Antero Resources	1.88%	0.45%	0.24%

Volatility and Risk

Crescent Energy has a beta of 2.26, indicating that its share price is 126% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Antero Resources has a beta of 3.33, indicating that its share price is 233% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Crescent Energy and Antero Resources, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Crescent Energy	0	2	6	2	3.00
Antero Resources	0	6	9	2	2.76

Crescent Energy currently has a consensus price target of $16.27, suggesting a potential upside of 42.00%. Antero Resources has a consensus price target of $33.13, suggesting a potential upside of 20.76%. Given Crescent Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Crescent Energy is more favorable than Antero Resources.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Crescent Energy and Antero Resources”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Crescent Energy	$2.61 billion	0.78	$67.61 million	($0.20)	-57.30
Antero Resources	$4.15 billion	2.05	$242.92 million	$0.20	137.15

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

Summary

Antero Resources beats Crescent Energy on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Crescent Energy

Crescent Energy Company acquires, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) reserves. Its portfolio of assets comprises mid-cycle unconventional and conventional assets in the Eagle Ford and Uinta Basins. It also owns and operates various midstream assets, which provide services to customers. The company is based in Houston, Texas.

About Antero Resources

Antero Resources Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the development, production, exploration, and acquisition of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and oil properties in the United States. It operates in three segments: Exploration and Development; Marketing; and Equity Method Investment in Antero Midstream. As of December 31, 2023, the company had approximately 515,000 net acres in the Appalachian Basin; and approximately 172,000 net acres in the Upper Devonian Shale. Its gathering and compression systems also comprise 631 miles of gas gathering pipelines in the Appalachian Basin. The company was formerly known as Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation and changed its name to Antero Resources Corporation in June 2013. Antero Resources Corporation was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.