Analyzing NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) & Oil States International (NYSE:OIS)

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) and Oil States International (NYSE:OIS) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares NPK International and Oil States International”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NPK International	$748.37 million	0.81	$14.52 million	($1.83)	-3.83
Oil States International	$782.28 million	0.44	$12.89 million	($0.33)	-16.44

NPK International has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Oil States International. Oil States International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NPK International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for NPK International and Oil States International, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NPK International	0	0	0	0	0.00
Oil States International	0	2	1	0	2.33

Oil States International has a consensus price target of $6.50, suggesting a potential upside of 19.77%. Given Oil States International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Oil States International is more favorable than NPK International.

Volatility and Risk

NPK International has a beta of 2.89, indicating that its share price is 189% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Oil States International has a beta of 2.61, indicating that its share price is 161% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares NPK International and Oil States International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NPK International	-28.47%	5.93%	4.08%
Oil States International	-2.78%	1.78%	1.22%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

80.8% of NPK International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.4% of Oil States International shares are held by institutional investors. 4.8% of NPK International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Oil States International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Oil States International beats NPK International on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NPK International

NPK International Inc. provides products, rentals, and services primarily to the oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. It operates through two segments, Fluids Systems and Industrial Solutions. The Fluids Systems segment provides drilling, completion, and stimulation fluids products and related technical services to customers primarily in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as other countries in the Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Industrial Solutions segment offers composite matting system rentals utilized for temporary worksite access; related site construction and services to customers in various markets, including power transmission, E&P, pipeline, renewable energy, petrochemical, construction, and other industries primarily in the United States and Europe; recyclable composite mats to customers worldwide; and access road construction, site planning and preparation, environmental protection, erosion control, and site restoration services. The company was formerly known as Newpark Resources, Inc. and changed its name to NPK International Inc. in December 2024. The company was incorporated in 1932 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

About Oil States International

Oil States International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides engineered capital equipment and products for the energy, industrial, and military sectors worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Well Site Services, Downhole Technologies, and Offshore/Manufactured Products. The Well Site Services segment offers a range of equipment and services that are used to drill for, establish, and maintain the flow of oil and natural gas from a well throughout its lifecycle. It also provides wireline support, frac stacks, isolation tools, downhole and extended reach activity, well testing and flowback operations, sand control, and land drilling services. The Downhole Technologies segment provides oil and gas perforation systems, and downhole tools in support of completion, intervention, wireline, and well abandonment operations. This segment also designs, manufactures, and markets its consumable engineered products to oilfield service, and exploration and production companies. The Offshore/Manufactured Products segment designs, manufactures, and markets capital equipment utilized on floating production systems, subsea pipeline infrastructure, and offshore drilling rigs and vessels. Its products include flexible bearings, advanced connector systems, high-pressure riser systems, managed pressure drilling systems, deepwater mooring systems, cranes, subsea pipeline products, and blow-out preventer stack integration products. This segment also provides short-cycle products, such as valves, elastomers, and other specialty products that are used in the land-based drilling and completion markets; and other products for use in industrial, military, alternative energy, and other applications. In addition, it offers specialty welding, fabrication, cladding and machining, offshore installation, and inspection and repair services. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.