Tetra Technologies (NYSE:TTI) vs. Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) Financial Comparison

Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ:DWSN) and Tetra Technologies (NYSE:TTI) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Dawson Geophysical and Tetra Technologies, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dawson Geophysical	0	1	0	0	2.00
Tetra Technologies	0	2	4	0	2.67

Tetra Technologies has a consensus target price of $10.25, indicating a potential downside of 11.64%. Given Tetra Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Tetra Technologies is more favorable than Dawson Geophysical.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

7.9% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.2% of Tetra Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Dawson Geophysical shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Tetra Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Dawson Geophysical has a beta of -0.09, suggesting that its stock price is 109% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Tetra Technologies has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Dawson Geophysical and Tetra Technologies”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dawson Geophysical	$74.15 million	0.93	-$4.12 million	($0.12)	-18.42
Tetra Technologies	$599.11 million	2.59	$108.28 million	$0.91	12.75

Tetra Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than Dawson Geophysical. Dawson Geophysical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Tetra Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Dawson Geophysical and Tetra Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Dawson Geophysical	-5.15%	-19.72%	-8.81%
Tetra Technologies	19.75%	13.07%	5.76%

Summary

Tetra Technologies beats Dawson Geophysical on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dawson Geophysical

Dawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States and Canada. The company acquires and processes 2-D, 3-D, and multi-component seismic data for its clients, including oil and gas companies, and independent oil and gas operators, as well as providers of multi-client data libraries and carbon capture sequestration projects. Its seismic crews supply seismic data primarily to companies engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas on land and in land-to-water transition areas, as well as potash mining industry. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas. Dawson Geophysical Company is a subsidiary of Wilks Brothers, LLC.

About Tetra Technologies

TETRA Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy services and solutions company. It operates through two segments, Completion Fluids & Products Division and Water & Flowback Services. The Completion Fluids & Products segment manufactures and markets clear brine fluids, additives, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry for use in well drilling, completion, and workover operations in the United States, as well as in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment also markets liquid and dry calcium chloride products; and TETRA PureFlow ultra-pure zinc bromide to battery technology companies. The Water & Flowback Services segment provides water management services for onshore oil and gas operators. This segment also offers frac flowback, production well testing, and other associated services in oil and gas producing regions in the United States, as well as in various basins in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. TETRA Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.