Financial Contrast: Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) versus Lightbridge (NASDAQ:LTBR)

Lightbridge (NASDAQ:LTBR) and Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

Lightbridge has a beta of 1.84, indicating that its stock price is 84% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crescent Energy has a beta of 1.73, indicating that its stock price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

9.1% of Lightbridge shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.1% of Crescent Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.5% of Lightbridge shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.2% of Crescent Energy 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.

Valuation and Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lightbridge	N/A	N/A	-$11.79 million	($0.80)	-20.64
Crescent Energy	$2.93 billion	0.71	-$114.61 million	($0.15)	-54.16

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Lightbridge and Crescent Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lightbridge	1	0	0	0	1.00
Crescent Energy	3	3	8	1	2.47

Crescent Energy has a consensus price target of $14.55, suggesting a potential upside of 79.04%. Given Crescent Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Crescent Energy is more favorable than Lightbridge.

Profitability

This table compares Lightbridge and Crescent Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lightbridge	N/A	-18.71%	-18.49%
Crescent Energy	0.66%	11.77%	4.69%

Summary

Crescent Energy beats Lightbridge on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lightbridge

Lightbridge Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in developing nuclear fuel technology. It develops and commercializes metallic nuclear fuels. The company was formerly known as Thorium Power, Ltd. and changed its name to Lightbridge Corporation in September 2009. Lightbridge Corporation is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

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.