Critical Contrast: Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) and Caspian Services (OTCMKTS:CSSV)

Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) and Caspian Services (OTCMKTS:CSSV) are both energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, earnings and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

7.9% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Dawson Geophysical has a beta of -0.09, suggesting that its share price is 109% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Caspian Services has a beta of 18.72, suggesting that its share price is 1,772% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Dawson Geophysical and Caspian Services, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dawson Geophysical	0	1	0	0	2.00
Caspian Services	0	0	0	0	0.00

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Dawson Geophysical and Caspian Services”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dawson Geophysical	$74.15 million	0.98	-$4.12 million	($0.12)	-19.50
Caspian Services	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Caspian Services has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Dawson Geophysical.

Profitability

This table compares Dawson Geophysical and Caspian Services’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Dawson Geophysical	-5.15%	-19.72%	-8.81%
Caspian Services	N/A	N/A	N/A

About Dawson Geophysical

Dawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States and Canada. The company acquires and processes 2-D, 3-D, and multi-component seismic data for its clients, including oil and gas companies, and independent oil and gas operators, as well as providers of multi-client data libraries and carbon capture sequestration projects. Its seismic crews supply seismic data primarily to companies engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas on land and in land-to-water transition areas, as well as potash mining industry. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas. Dawson Geophysical Company is a subsidiary of Wilks Brothers, LLC.

About Caspian Services

Caspian Services, Inc. provides various oilfield services for the oil and gas industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea region. The company operates in three segments: Vessel Operations, Geophysical Services, and Marine Base Services. The Vessel Operations segment charters a fleet of shallow draft offshore support vessels to oil and natural gas exploration companies. This segment's vessel fleet includes supply vessels, survey/utility vessels, anchor handling multicats and support vessel tugs, cable laying barges, accommodation vessels, and crewboats. The Geophysical Services segment offers onshore geophysical services to independent oil and gas exploration and development companies operating in Kazakhstan. This segment provides geophysical seismic surveys, such as 2D and 3D seismic surveys. The Marine Base Services segment operates a marine base located at the Port of Bautino on the North Caspian Sea. This segment offers various facilities and services comprising long and short terms vessel moorings, wharf front crane pad for vessel loading/offloading, boat yard with vessel lifting facilities, long-term berths, water storage facilities and vessel bunkering, oily and waste water collection and removing facilities, weighbridge facilities, electrical power supply and distribution systems, and open lay-down storage area. The company was formerly known as EMPS Corporation and changed its name to Caspian Services, Inc. in July 2005. Caspian Services, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Almaty, Kazakhstan.