Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) vs. Hyperdynamics (OTCMKTS:HDYNQ) Critical Review

Hyperdynamics (OTCMKTS:HDYNQ) and Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Hyperdynamics and Viper Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hyperdynamics	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Viper Energy	$859.75 million	11.20	$200.09 million	$3.67	12.32

Viper Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Hyperdynamics.

Volatility & Risk

Hyperdynamics has a beta of 2.51, indicating that its stock price is 151% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Viper Energy has a beta of 1.69, indicating that its stock price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.7% of Viper Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.9% of Hyperdynamics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Viper Energy shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Hyperdynamics and Viper Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hyperdynamics	0	0	0	0	0.00
Viper Energy	0	0	12	0	3.00

Viper Energy has a consensus price target of $59.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.53%. Given Viper Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Viper Energy is more favorable than Hyperdynamics.

Profitability

This table compares Hyperdynamics and Viper Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hyperdynamics	N/A	N/A	N/A
Viper Energy	24.65%	6.72%	4.98%

Summary

Viper Energy beats Hyperdynamics on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hyperdynamics

Hyperdynamics Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an independent oil and gas exploration company. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Republic of Guinea, Northwest Africa. The company owns a 100% interest in a concession that covers an area of approximately 5,000 square miles in offshore Guinea. Hyperdynamics Corporation was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Viper Energy

Viper Energy, Inc. engages in the acquisition of oil and natural gas properties. It owns, acquires, and exploits oil and natural gas properties in North America. The company was founded on February 27, 2014 and is headquartered in Midland, TX.