Bristow Group (NYSE: BRS) and PHI INC/SH (NASDAQ:PHII) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.
Profitability
Get Bristow Group alerts:This table compares Bristow Group and PHI INC/SH’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Bristow Group | -13.53% | -6.20% | -2.48% |
| PHI INC/SH | 0.96% | -7.19% | -3.05% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Bristow Group and PHI INC/SH, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Bristow Group | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| PHI INC/SH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
Bristow Group presently has a consensus price target of $12.33, suggesting a potential downside of 6.99%. Given Bristow Group’s higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Bristow Group is more favorable than PHI INC/SH.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Bristow Group and PHI INC/SH’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Bristow Group | $1.44 billion | 0.33 | -$195.65 million | ($2.13) | -6.23 |
| PHI INC/SH | $579.54 million | 0.22 | $7.53 million | N/A | N/A |
PHI INC/SH has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Bristow Group.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
99.1% of Bristow Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.7% of PHI INC/SH shares are held by institutional investors. 2.8% of Bristow Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.6% of PHI INC/SH shares are held by insiders. 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.
Risk & Volatility
Bristow Group has a beta of 2.96, suggesting that its share price is 196% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PHI INC/SH has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Bristow Group beats PHI INC/SH on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. provides industrial aviation services to the offshore energy companies in Europe Caspian, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers helicopter charter services to transport personnel between onshore bases and offshore production platforms, drilling rigs, and other installations, as well as to transport time-sensitive equipment to these offshore locations. It also provides search and rescue services for the oil and gas industry, and governmental agencies; and aircraft support services. The company was formerly known as Offshore Logistics Inc. and changed its name to Bristow Group Inc. in February 2006. Bristow Group Inc. was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
About PHI INC/SH
PHI, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides transportation services to, from, and among offshore facilities for customers in the oil and gas exploration, development, and production industry in the United States and internationally. It operates through three business segments: Oil and Gas, Air Medical, and Technical Services. The Oil and Gas segment provides helicopter services primarily for the integrated and independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, and other offshore oil service companies for routine transportation of personnel and equipment, transportation of personnel during medical and safety emergencies, and evacuation of personnel during the threat of hurricanes and other adverse weather conditions. The Air Medical segment provides air medical transportation services for hospitals and emergency service agencies in 18 states. The Technical Services segment provides helicopter repair and overhaul services for flight operations customers, as well as operates aircraft for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica. It also provides software as a service to certain of its oil and gas customers for passenger check-in and compliance verification. As of December 31, 2017, the company owned or operated 245 aircraft, including 133 dedicated to Oil and Gas operations, 106 dedicated to Air Medical operations, and 6 dedicated to Technical Services operations. PHI, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.
