Head to Head Analysis: Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) & Vista Energy (NYSE:VIST)

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and Vista Energy (NYSE:VIST) are both energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

61.8% of Exxon Mobil shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.8% of Vista Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Exxon Mobil shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Exxon Mobil and Vista Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Exxon Mobil	$349.59 billion	1.37	$33.68 billion	$7.04	15.94
Vista Energy	$1.65 billion	2.05	$477.52 million	$5.55	6.41

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

Profitability

This table compares Exxon Mobil and Vista Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Exxon Mobil	9.17%	11.34%	6.79%
Vista Energy	29.12%	12.02%	4.55%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Exxon Mobil and Vista Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Exxon Mobil	0	10	9	1	2.55
Vista Energy	1	1	3	2	2.86

Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus price target of $127.58, indicating a potential upside of 13.70%. Vista Energy has a consensus price target of $59.60, indicating a potential upside of 67.65%. Given Vista Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Vista Energy is more favorable than Exxon Mobil.

Volatility & Risk

Exxon Mobil has a beta of 0.51, meaning that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vista Energy has a beta of 0.97, meaning that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vista Energy beats Exxon Mobil on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. The Energy Products segment offers fuels, aromatics, catalysts, and licensing services. It sells its products under the Exxon, Esso, and Mobil brands. The Chemical Products segment manufactures and markets petrochemicals, including olefins, polyolefins, and intermediates. The Specialty Products segment offers performance products, including lubricants, basestocks, waxes, synthetics, elastomers, and resins. The company is also involved in the manufacturing, trade, transport, and selling crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals, and other specialty products in pursuit of lower-emission business opportunities, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, and lithium. Exxon Mobil Corporation was founded in 1870 and is based in Spring, Texas.

About Vista Energy

Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V., through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas in Latin America. The company's principal assets located in Neuquina basin, Argentina and Vaca Muerta. It owns producing assets in Argentina and Mexico. In addition, the company involved in drilling and workover activities located in Argentina. The company was formerly known as Vista Oil & Gas, S.A.B. de C.V. and changed its name to Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. in April 2022. Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Mexico City, Mexico.