Head-To-Head Analysis: Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) vs. Zion Oil & Gas (OTCMKTS:ZNOG)

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) and Zion Oil & Gas (OTCMKTS:ZNOG) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

Antero Resources has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Zion Oil & Gas has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its share price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Antero Resources and Zion Oil & Gas, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Antero Resources	0	6	8	5	2.95
Zion Oil & Gas	0	0	0	0	0.00

Antero Resources currently has a consensus target price of $47.50, indicating a potential upside of 17.11%. Given Antero Resources’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Antero Resources is more favorable than Zion Oil & Gas.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Antero Resources and Zion Oil & Gas”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Antero Resources	$5.28 billion	2.37	$634.42 million	$2.02	20.08
Zion Oil & Gas	N/A	N/A	-$7.63 million	($1.77)	-0.21

Antero Resources has higher revenue and earnings than Zion Oil & Gas. Zion Oil & Gas is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Antero Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Antero Resources and Zion Oil & Gas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Antero Resources	12.02%	6.71%	3.89%
Zion Oil & Gas	N/A	-19.62%	-17.98%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

83.0% of Antero Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.9% of Zion Oil & Gas shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.3% of Antero Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.7% of Zion Oil & Gas shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Antero Resources beats Zion Oil & Gas on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Antero Resources

Antero Resources Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the development, production, exploration, and acquisition of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and oil properties in the United States. It operates in three segments: Exploration and Development; Marketing; and Equity Method Investment in Antero Midstream. As of December 31, 2023, the company had approximately 515,000 net acres in the Appalachian Basin; and approximately 172,000 net acres in the Upper Devonian Shale. Its gathering and compression systems also comprise 631 miles of gas gathering pipelines in the Appalachian Basin. The company was formerly known as Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation and changed its name to Antero Resources Corporation in June 2013. Antero Resources Corporation was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Zion Oil & Gas

Zion Oil & Gas, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an oil and gas exploration company in Israel. It holds a petroleum exploration license onshore Israel, the New Megiddo License 434 comprising an area of approximately 75,000 acres. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.