Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) versus Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Financial Review

Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) and Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Ener-Core and Vital Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vital Energy	-38.52%	11.86%	5.45%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Ener-Core and Vital Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ener-Core	0	0	0	0	0.00
Vital Energy	5	5	1	1	1.83

Vital Energy has a consensus target price of $26.44, suggesting a potential upside of 54.56%. Given Vital Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Vital Energy is more favorable than Ener-Core.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ener-Core and Vital Energy”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vital Energy	$1.94 billion	0.34	-$173.52 million	($19.79)	-0.86

Ener-Core has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Vital Energy.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

86.5% of Vital Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 3.8% of Ener-Core shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Vital Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Vital Energy beats Ener-Core on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ener-Core

Ener-Core, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, license, and market its products that are based on Power Oxidizer technologies. The company's Power Oxidizer technology generates industrial levels of usable heat in a pressure vessel using various organic gases as fuel for an oxidation reaction. Its products include Ener-Core PowerStation EC250 and Ener-Core Powerstation KG2-3GEF/PO, which have applications in landfills, distilleries, and various industrial processes. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors in the United States and the Netherlands. Ener-Core, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

About Vital Energy

Vital Energy, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc. and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc. in January 2023. Vital Energy, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.