Contrasting CrossAmerica Partners (NYSE:CAPL) & Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS)

Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS) and CrossAmerica Partners (NYSE:CAPL) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

51.6% of Vitesse Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.1% of CrossAmerica Partners shares are held by institutional investors. 13.9% of Vitesse Energy shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 52.0% of CrossAmerica Partners shares are held by company 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.

Profitability

This table compares Vitesse Energy and CrossAmerica Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vitesse Energy	-3.95%	-0.02%	-0.02%
CrossAmerica Partners	1.43%	-37.73%	3.92%

Dividends

Vitesse Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.9%. CrossAmerica Partners pays an annual dividend of $2.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.4%. Vitesse Energy pays out -530.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CrossAmerica Partners pays out 153.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Vitesse Energy has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Vitesse Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Vitesse Energy and CrossAmerica Partners”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vitesse Energy	$273.99 million	2.73	$25.28 million	($0.33)	-53.76
CrossAmerica Partners	$3.66 billion	0.23	$39.11 million	$1.37	16.38

CrossAmerica Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Vitesse Energy. Vitesse Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CrossAmerica Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Vitesse Energy has a beta of 0.6, suggesting that its stock price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CrossAmerica Partners has a beta of 0.3, suggesting that its stock price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Vitesse Energy and CrossAmerica Partners, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vitesse Energy	1	2	3	0	2.33
CrossAmerica Partners	0	1	0	1	3.00

Vitesse Energy currently has a consensus target price of $20.25, indicating a potential upside of 14.15%. Given Vitesse Energy’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vitesse Energy is more favorable than CrossAmerica Partners.

About Vitesse Energy

Vitesse Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, development, and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It owns and acquires non-operated working interest and royalty interest ownership in the Williston Basin properties located in North Dakota and Montana. The company also owns non-operated interests in the Central Rockies properties located in Colorado and Wyoming. Vitesse Energy, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Centennial, Colorado.

About CrossAmerica Partners

CrossAmerica Partners LP engages in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels, operation of convenience stores, and ownership and leasing of real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The Wholesale segment engages in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels to lessee dealers, independent dealers, commission agents, and company operated retail sites. The Retail segment is involved in the sale of convenience merchandise items; and retail sale of motor fuels at company operated retail sites and retail sites operated by commission agents. CrossAmerica GP LLC operates as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Lehigh Gas Partners LP and changed its name to CrossAmerica Partners LP in October 2014. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.