Par Pacific (NYSE:PARR) vs. Triangle Petroleum (OTCMKTS:TPLM) Critical Analysis

Par Pacific (NYSE:PARR) and Triangle Petroleum (OTCMKTS:TPLM) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and profitability.

Volatility and Risk

Par Pacific has a beta of 1.99, suggesting that its share price is 99% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Triangle Petroleum has a beta of 2.35, suggesting that its share price is 135% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Par Pacific and Triangle Petroleum, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Par Pacific	0	6	2	0	2.25
Triangle Petroleum	0	0	0	0	N/A

Par Pacific currently has a consensus price target of $30.00, indicating a potential upside of 64.56%. Given Par Pacific’s higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Par Pacific is more favorable than Triangle Petroleum.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

92.2% of Par Pacific shares are held by institutional investors. 4.4% of Par Pacific shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.3% of Triangle Petroleum shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Par Pacific and Triangle Petroleum’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Par Pacific	5.43%	26.40%	8.51%
Triangle Petroleum	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Par Pacific and Triangle Petroleum”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Par Pacific	$8.76 billion	0.12	$728.64 million	$7.99	2.28
Triangle Petroleum	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Par Pacific has higher revenue and earnings than Triangle Petroleum.

Summary

Par Pacific beats Triangle Petroleum on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Par Pacific

Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses. The company operates through Refining, Retail, and Logistics segments. The Refining segment owns and operates refineries that produce gasoline, distillate, asphalt, and other products primarily for consumption in Kapolei, Hawaii, Newcastle, Wyoming, Tacoma, Washington, and Billings, Montana. The Retail segment operates fuel retail outlets, which sell merchandise, such as soft drinks, prepared foods, and other sundries in Hawaii under the Hele, 76, and nomnom brands; and gasoline, diesel, and retail merchandise in Washington and Idaho. The Logistics segment owns and operates terminals, pipelines, single point mooring, marine vessels, storage facilities, loading and truck racks, and rail facilities to distribute ethanol, petroleum, and refined products throughout Hawaii, the United States West Coast, Washington, the Dakotas, and Wyoming; and a jet fuel storage facility and pipeline that serves Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. It also holds interest in refined products pipeline. In addition, the company owns and operates a marine terminal, a unit train-capable rail loading terminal; a truck rack, and a proprietary pipeline that serves Joint Base Lewis McChord. The company was formerly known as Par Petroleum Corporation and changed its name to Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. in October 2015. Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Triangle Petroleum

Triangle Petroleum Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It operates in two segments, Exploration and Production, and Oilfield Services. As of January 31, 2016, the company had leasehold interests in approximately 103,540 net acres in the Bakken Shale and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana. It also offers oilfield services, including hydraulic pressure pumping, wireline, perforating, pump rental, workover, and other complementary services, as well as midstream services. The company was formerly known as Peloton Resources Inc. and changed its name to Triangle Petroleum Corporation in May 2005. Triangle Petroleum Corporation was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.