Comparing APA (NASDAQ:APA) and Stratex Oil & Gas (OTCMKTS:STTX)

Stratex Oil & Gas (OTCMKTS:STTX – Get Rating) and APA (NASDAQ:APA – Get Rating) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Risk and Volatility

Stratex Oil & Gas has a beta of 0.51, meaning that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, APA has a beta of 3.53, meaning that its share price is 253% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Stratex Oil & Gas and APA’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Stratex Oil & Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
APA	$12.13 billion	0.85	$3.67 billion	$6.15	5.43

APA has higher revenue and earnings than Stratex Oil & Gas.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

80.8% of APA shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of APA shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Stratex Oil & Gas and APA, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Stratex Oil & Gas	0	0	0	0	N/A
APA	1	6	9	1	2.59

APA has a consensus price target of $46.88, indicating a potential upside of 40.30%. Given APA’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe APA is more favorable than Stratex Oil & Gas.

Profitability

This table compares Stratex Oil & Gas and APA’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Stratex Oil & Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A
APA	19.72%	158.38%	17.46%

Summary

APA beats Stratex Oil & Gas on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Stratex Oil & Gas

(Get Rating)

Stratex Oil & Gas Holdings, Inc. engages in the exploitation, exploration, development of oil and gas properties. Its portfolio includes projects in Texas, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota, and Utah. The company was founded on January 6, 1989 and is headquartered in Waterbury, CT.

About APA

(Get Rating)

APA Corp. explores for oil and natural gas through its subsidiaries. It produces oil and gas with operations in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom, and exploration activities offshore in Suriname. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.