Contrasting ERHC Energy (OTCMKTS:ERHE) and Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK)

Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK) and ERHC Energy (OTCMKTS:ERHE) are both energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Volatility & Risk

Comstock Resources has a beta of 0.39, indicating that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ERHC Energy has a beta of -5.3, indicating that its share price is 630% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

36.1% of Comstock Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Comstock Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.9% of ERHC Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Comstock Resources and ERHC Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Comstock Resources	$1.25 billion	5.51	-$229.65 million	$0.25	94.26
ERHC Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

ERHC Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Comstock Resources.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Comstock Resources and ERHC Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Comstock Resources	3	6	2	0	1.91
ERHC Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00

Comstock Resources presently has a consensus price target of $20.60, indicating a potential downside of 12.58%. Given Comstock Resources’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Comstock Resources is more favorable than ERHC Energy.

Profitability

This table compares Comstock Resources and ERHC Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Comstock Resources	3.14%	6.71%	2.45%
ERHC Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Comstock Resources beats ERHC Energy on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Comstock Resources

Comstock Resources, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of natural gas and oil properties in the United States. Its assets are located in the Haynesville and Bossier shales located in North Louisiana and East Texas. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is headquartered in Frisco, Texas. Comstock Resources, Inc. is a subsidiary of Arkoma Drilling, L.P.

About ERHC Energy

ERHC Energy Inc. engages in the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas resources in Africa. Its principal assets include the rights to working interests in exploration acreage in the Republic of Kenya; the Republic of Chad; the Joint Development Zone between the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe; the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and the economic zone of Sao Tome. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Houston, Texas.