Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN – Get Free Report) and Berry (NASDAQ:BRY – Get Free Report) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
87.0% of Southwestern Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.9% of Berry shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Southwestern Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Berry shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Southwestern Energy and Berry, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Southwestern Energy | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2.17 |
| Berry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Southwestern Energy and Berry”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Southwestern Energy | $5.64 billion | 1.39 | $1.56 billion | ($1.74) | -4.09 |
| Berry | $844.47 million | 0.49 | $37.40 million | $0.01 | 540.00 |
Southwestern Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Berry. Southwestern Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Berry, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Southwestern Energy and Berry’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Southwestern Energy | -48.91% | 10.55% | 4.80% |
| Berry | -4.19% | 6.69% | 3.00% |
Volatility and Risk
Southwestern Energy has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Berry has a beta of 1.72, meaning that its stock price is 72% more volatile than the S&P 500.
About Southwestern Energy
Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Marketing. The company focuses on the development of unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana. It also engages in the marketing and transportation of natural gas, oil, and NGLs. It serves LNG exporters, energy companies, utilities, and industrial purchasers of natural gas. Southwestern Energy Company was incorporated in 1929 and is headquartered in Spring, Texas.
About Berry
Berry Petroleum Company, LLC., formerly Berry Petroleum Company, is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in the production, development, exploitation, and acquisition of oil and natural gas. The Company’s principal reserves and producing properties are located in California (South Midway-Sunset (SMWSS)-Steam Floods, North Midway-Sunset (NMWSS)-Diatomite, NMWSS-New Steam Floods, Texas (Permian and E. Texas), Utah (Uinta) and Colorado (Piceance). The Company’s operations are conducted in the continental United States. In December 2013, Linn Energy LLC and Linn Co, LLC (Linn Co) announced the completion of the merger between LinnCo and Berry Petroleum Company (Berry), where LinnCo had acquired all of Berry’s interest.
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