Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ: CHK) is one of 264 publicly-traded companies in the “Crude petroleum & natural gas” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Chesapeake Energy to similar companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation and dividends.
Dividends
Chesapeake Energy pays an annual dividend of $5.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.8%. Chesapeake Energy pays out -12.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Crude petroleum & natural gas” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.4% and pay out -159.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Chesapeake Energy and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Net Income | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Chesapeake Energy | $5.30 billion | -$9.73 billion | -1.29 |
| Chesapeake Energy Competitors | $5.48 billion | -$670.29 million | -3.82 |
Chesapeake Energy’s peers have higher revenue and earnings than Chesapeake Energy. Chesapeake Energy is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.
Profitability
This table compares Chesapeake Energy and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Chesapeake Energy | 109.73% | -109.73% | 62.96% |
| Chesapeake Energy Competitors | -145.25% | -18.94% | -2.02% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
96.1% of Chesapeake Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 48.7% of shares of all “Crude petroleum & natural gas” companies are owned by institutional investors. 10.9% of shares of all “Crude petroleum & natural gas” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations for Chesapeake Energy and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Chesapeake Energy | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.80 |
| Chesapeake Energy Competitors | 2031 | 10230 | 14455 | 471 | 2.49 |
Chesapeake Energy currently has a consensus price target of $61.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.50%. As a group, “Crude petroleum & natural gas” companies have a potential downside of 12.74%. Given Chesapeake Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Chesapeake Energy is more favorable than its peers.
Summary
Chesapeake Energy beats its peers on 8 of the 14 factors compared.
Chesapeake Energy Company Profile
Chesapeake Energy Corporation engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of properties for the production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGL) from underground reservoirs in the United States. The company holds interests in natural gas resource plays, including the Marcellus in Northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania; Haynesville located in Northwestern Louisiana; Eagle Ford in South Texas; Brazos Valley in Southeast Texas; and Powder River Basin in Wyoming. As of December 31, 2020, it owned interests in approximately 7,400 oil and natural gas wells, including 5,900 properties with working interest and 1,500 properties with royalty interest; and had estimated proved reserves of 60 Mmboe. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.