Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) & Gran Tierra Energy (NYSE:GTE) Head to Head Contrast

Gran Tierra Energy (NYSE:GTE) and Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Gran Tierra Energy and Suncor Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Gran Tierra Energy	0	0	2	1	3.33
Suncor Energy	0	1	7	3	3.18

Gran Tierra Energy currently has a consensus target price of $9.72, indicating a potential downside of 14.17%. Suncor Energy has a consensus target price of $79.62, indicating a potential upside of 0.09%. Given Suncor Energy’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Suncor Energy is more favorable than Gran Tierra Energy.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

31.7% of Gran Tierra Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.4% of Suncor Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.8% of Gran Tierra Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Suncor Energy shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Gran Tierra Energy and Suncor Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Gran Tierra Energy	7.17%	11.36%	3.28%
Suncor Energy	15.62%	20.05%	10.06%

Volatility and Risk

Gran Tierra Energy has a beta of 0.37, meaning that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Suncor Energy has a beta of 0.36, meaning that its stock price is 64% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Gran Tierra Energy and Suncor Energy”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Gran Tierra Energy	$638.42 million	0.63	-$6.29 million	($7.25)	-1.56
Suncor Energy	$35.29 billion	2.64	$4.24 billion	$5.43	14.65

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

Summary

Suncor Energy beats Gran Tierra Energy on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Gran Tierra Energy

Gran Tierra Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia and Ecuador. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

About Suncor Energy

Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products. This segment also engages in oil sands mining. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations in the East Coast of Canada; and marketing and risk management of crude oil and natural gas. The Refining and Marketing segment engages in the refining of crude oil products; and distribution, marketing, transportation, and risk management of refined and petrochemical products, and other purchased products through the retail and wholesale networks. This segment is also involved in the trading of crude oil, refined products, natural gas, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Suncor Energy Inc.