Comparing XPLR Infrastructure (NYSE:XIFR) and Black Stone Minerals (NYSE:BSM)

XPLR Infrastructure (NYSE:XIFR) and Black Stone Minerals (NYSE:BSM) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares XPLR Infrastructure and Black Stone Minerals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
XPLR Infrastructure	-14.10%	1.64%	1.03%
Black Stone Minerals	55.74%	32.76%	22.26%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares XPLR Infrastructure and Black Stone Minerals”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
XPLR Infrastructure	$1.23 billion	0.62	-$23.00 million	($1.90)	-4.25
Black Stone Minerals	$433.70 million	6.31	$271.33 million	$0.92	14.09

Black Stone Minerals has lower revenue, but higher earnings than XPLR Infrastructure. XPLR Infrastructure is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Black Stone Minerals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

XPLR Infrastructure has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Black Stone Minerals has a beta of 0.31, suggesting that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for XPLR Infrastructure and Black Stone Minerals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
XPLR Infrastructure	2	12	2	0	2.00
Black Stone Minerals	0	3	0	0	2.00

XPLR Infrastructure currently has a consensus target price of $17.64, suggesting a potential upside of 118.35%. Black Stone Minerals has a consensus target price of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.01%. Given XPLR Infrastructure’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe XPLR Infrastructure is more favorable than Black Stone Minerals.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

66.0% of XPLR Infrastructure shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 14.5% of Black Stone Minerals shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of XPLR Infrastructure shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.8% of Black Stone Minerals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Black Stone Minerals beats XPLR Infrastructure on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About XPLR Infrastructure

XPLR Infrastructure LP engages in the acquisition, management, and ownership of contracted clean energy projects with long-term cash flows. It owns interests in wind and solar projects in North America and natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. The company was founded on March 6, 2014 and is headquartered in Juno Beach, FL.

About Black Stone Minerals

Black Stone Minerals, L.P., together with its subsidiaries, owns and manages oil and natural gas mineral interests. It owns mineral interests in approximately 16.8 million gross acres, nonparticipating royalty interests in 1.8 million gross acres, and overriding royalty interests in 1.6 million gross acres located in 41 states in the United States. The company was founded in 1876 and is based in Houston, Texas.