Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) & CN Energy Group. (NASDAQ:CNEY) Head to Head Review

CN Energy Group. (NASDAQ:CNEY) and Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

Risk & Volatility

CN Energy Group. has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vital Energy has a beta of 1.12, indicating that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares CN Energy Group. and Vital Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CN Energy Group.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vital Energy	-69.28%	13.40%	5.79%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for CN Energy Group. and Vital Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CN Energy Group.	1	0	0	0	1.00
Vital Energy	4	7	1	0	1.75

Vital Energy has a consensus target price of $27.22, indicating a potential upside of 50.31%. Given Vital Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vital Energy is more favorable than CN Energy Group..

Institutional & Insider Ownership

7.6% of CN Energy Group. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.5% of Vital Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Vital Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares CN Energy Group. and Vital Energy”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CN Energy Group.	$50.96 million	0.07	-$14.04 million	N/A	N/A
Vital Energy	$1.95 billion	0.36	-$173.52 million	($34.87)	-0.52

CN Energy Group. has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Vital Energy.

Summary

Vital Energy beats CN Energy Group. on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CN Energy Group.

CN Energy Group. Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of wood-based activated carbon primarily in China. The company’s activated carbon is used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, water purification, environmental protection, and food and beverage production. It also engages in the generation and supply of biomass electricity; production of steam for heating; sale of minerals, stone, metal materials, construction materials, wood, chemical materials and products, rubber products, and paper products; management and conversion of forest and natural ecosystem; and forest acquisition, rights transfer, and nurturing, and timber harvesting and processing activities. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Lishui, China.

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.