Critical Review: Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS:JAPSY) and Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL)

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) and Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS:JAPSY) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

93.3% of Bristow Group shares are held by institutional investors. 13.4% of Bristow Group 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.

Volatility and Risk

Bristow Group has a beta of 1.39, suggesting that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Japan Airlines has a beta of 0.38, suggesting that its share price is 62% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bristow Group and Japan Airlines’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bristow Group	9.71%	14.83%	6.43%
Japan Airlines	6.48%	11.17%	4.29%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Bristow Group and Japan Airlines, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bristow Group	0	0	1	0	3.00
Japan Airlines	1	0	0	1	2.50

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Bristow Group and Japan Airlines”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bristow Group	$1.42 billion	0.75	$94.80 million	$4.78	7.64
Japan Airlines	$12.11 billion	0.67	$706.45 million	$0.95	9.73

Japan Airlines has higher revenue and earnings than Bristow Group. Bristow Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Japan Airlines, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Bristow Group beats Japan Airlines on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc. provides vertical flight solutions. The company primarily offers aviation services to integrated, national, and independent offshore energy companies and government agencies. It also provides personnel transportation, search and rescue, medevac, ad hoc helicopter, fixed wing transportation, unmanned systems, and ad-hoc helicopter services, as well as logistical and maintenance support, training services, and flight and maintenance crews. The company has a fleet of aircrafts. It has customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, India, Ireland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad, the United Kingdom, and United States. Bristow Group Inc. is based in Houston, Texas.

About Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services in Japan, Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. The company operates through Air Transportation and Other segments. It offers passenger, ground handling, cargo and mail handling, and maintenance services. The company is also involved in the aerial work and other related business; airport peripheral business; and sale of travel package tours. As of March 31, 2023, it operated a fleet of 224 aircraft. The company was formerly known as Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. in April 2011. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.