Select Water Solutions (NYSE:WTTR) vs. LandBridge (NYSE:LB) Critical Contrast

by · The Cerbat Gem

LandBridge (NYSE:LBGet Free Report) and Select Water Solutions (NYSE:WTTRGet Free Report) are both mid-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for LandBridge and Select Water Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell RatingsHold RatingsBuy RatingsStrong Buy RatingsRating Score
LandBridge17202.10
Select Water Solutions03602.67

LandBridge presently has a consensus target price of $81.67, indicating a potential downside of 5.05%. Select Water Solutions has a consensus target price of $23.00, indicating a potential upside of 12.94%. Given Select Water Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Select Water Solutions is more favorable than LandBridge.

Volatility & Risk

LandBridge has a beta of 0.09, indicating that its share price is 91% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Select Water Solutions has a beta of 1.01, indicating that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

LandBridge pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Select Water Solutions pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. LandBridge pays out 42.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Select Water Solutions pays out 100.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Select Water Solutions has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Select Water Solutions is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares LandBridge and Select Water Solutions”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
LandBridge$199.09 million33.30$30.13 million$1.1376.12
Select Water Solutions$1.41 billion2.00$21.22 million$0.2872.73

LandBridge has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Select Water Solutions. Select Water Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than LandBridge, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.7% of Select Water Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. 63.3% of LandBridge shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.2% of Select Water Solutions shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares LandBridge and Select Water Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net MarginsReturn on EquityReturn on Assets
LandBridge16.49%4.75%2.87%
Select Water Solutions2.24%3.11%1.92%

Summary

LandBridge beats Select Water Solutions on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LandBridge

(Get Free Report)

LandBridge Company LLC owns and manages land and resources to support and enhance oil and natural gas development in the United States. It owns surface acres in and around the Delaware Basin in Texas and New Mexico. The company holds a portfolio of oil and gas royalties. It also sells brackish water and other surface composite materials. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Houston, Texas. LandBridge Company LLC operates as a subsidiary of LandBridge Holdings LLC.

About Select Water Solutions

(Get Free Report)

Select Water Solutions, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides water management and chemical solutions to the energy industry in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Water Services, Water Infrastructure, and Chemical Technologies. The Water Services segment provides water-related services, including water sourcing, water transfer, flowback and well testing, water containment, fluids hauling, water monitoring, and water network automation; technology solutions comprising hydrographic mapping, water volume and quality monitoring, remote pit and tank monitoring, leak detection, asset and fuel tracking, and automated-equipment services, as well as various surface rental equipment and workforce accommodation services. The Water Infrastructure segment engages in the recycling, gathering, transferring, and disposal of water through a network of permanent pipeline infrastructure, semi-permanent pipeline infrastructure, water recycling facilities, earthen pits, water sources, and SWDs; provides solids management services; and develops, builds, and operates semi-permanent and permanent infrastructure solutions. The Chemical Technologies segment provides technical solutions, products, and services related to chemical applications in the oil and gas industry. This segment develops, manufactures, and manages logistics; and provides chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, cementing, and well completions for pressure pumpers and oil and gas producers, as well as offers production chemical solutions for underperforming wells, corrosion and scale monitoring, chemical inventory management, well failure analysis, and lab services. It primarily serves oil and gas producers. The company was formerly known as Select Energy Services, Inc. and changed its name to Select Water Solutions, Inc. in May 2023. Select Water Solutions, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.