January 17, 2018 - CONSOL Coal Resources (NYSE: CCR) and Foresight Energy (NYSE:FELP) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares CONSOL Coal Resources and Foresight Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares CONSOL Coal Resources and Foresight Energy’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

CONSOL Coal Resources has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Foresight Energy. Foresight Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CONSOL Coal Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

CONSOL Coal Resources pays an annual dividend of $2.05 per share and has a dividend yield of 13.2%. Foresight Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.8%. CONSOL Coal Resources pays out 148.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Foresight Energy pays out -14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for CONSOL Coal Resources and Foresight Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

CONSOL Coal Resources presently has a consensus price target of $20.20, indicating a potential upside of 29.90%. Foresight Energy has a consensus price target of $5.25, indicating a potential upside of 25.90%. Given CONSOL Coal Resources’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe CONSOL Coal Resources is more favorable than Foresight Energy.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

25.6% of CONSOL Coal Resources shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.7% of Foresight Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

CONSOL Coal Resources beats Foresight Energy on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CONSOL Coal Resources

Consol Coal Resources LP, formerly CNX Coal Resources LP, is a producer of high-British thermal units (Btu) thermal coal. It is engaged in the management and development of coal operations of CONSOL Energy Inc. (CONSOL Energy) in Pennsylvania. It holds interest in, and operational control over, CONSOL Energy’s Pennsylvania Mining Complex, which consists of three underground mines and related infrastructure that produce high-Btu bituminous thermal coal that is sold primarily to electric utilities in the eastern United States. The Pennsylvania Mining Complex includes the Bailey Mine, the Enlow Fork Mine and the Harvey Mine. It mines its reserves from the Pittsburgh Number eight Coal Seam, which is a contiguous formation of uniform, Btu thermal coal. Its Bailey Mine is located in Enon, Pennsylvania. Its Enlow Fork Mine is located directly north of the Bailey Mine. Its Harvey Mine is located directly east of the Bailey and Enlow Fork Mines.

About Foresight Energy

Foresight Energy LP is engaged in the mining and marketing of coal from reserves and operations located in the Illinois Basin. As of December 31, 2016, the Company controlled 2.1 billion tons of coal in the state of Illinois. Its reserves consist principally of three contiguous blocks of uniform, thick, high heat content (high Btu) thermal coal, which are used for longwall operations. The Company operates four underground mining complexes in the Illinois Basin, including Williamson, Sugar Camp, Hillsboro and Macoupin. Its mining complexes operate in the Illinois Basin with approximately two located in Southern Illinois and over two located in Central Illinois. Williamson, Sugar Camp and Hillsboro are longwall operations, and Macoupin is a continuous miner operation. The Company markets and sells its coal to electric utility and industrial companies in the eastern half of the United States as well as internationally (primarily into Europe).