Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) and China Coal Energy (OTC:CCOZF) Head to Head Contrast

Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) and China Coal Energy (OTC:CCOZF) are both energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Dividends

Natural Resource Partners pays an annual dividend of $3.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. China Coal Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. Natural Resource Partners pays out 22.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. China Coal Energy pays out 70.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Profitability

This table compares Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Natural Resource Partners	70.55%	44.97%	28.52%
China Coal Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Natural Resource Partners	0	0	0	0	N/A
China Coal Energy	0	0	0	0	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

31.8% of Natural Resource Partners shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 5.2% of China Coal Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 35.3% of Natural Resource Partners shares are held 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Natural Resource Partners and China Coal Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Natural Resource Partners	$277.56 million	4.55	$278.43 million	$13.54	7.19
China Coal Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.10	11.18

Natural Resource Partners has higher revenue and earnings than China Coal Energy. Natural Resource Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than China Coal Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Natural Resource Partners beats China Coal Energy on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners L.P., together with its subsidiaries, owns, manages, and leases a portfolio of mineral properties in the United States. It operates in two segments, Mineral Rights and Soda Ash. The company owns interests in coal, soda ash, trona, and other natural resources. Its coal reserves are primarily located in the Appalachia Basin, the Illinois Basin, and the Northern Powder River Basin in the United States; industrial minerals and aggregates properties located in the United States; and oil and gas properties located in Louisiana. The company leases a portion of its reserves in exchange for royalty payments; and owns and leases transportation and processing infrastructure related to coal properties. NRP (GP) LP serves as the general partner of the company. Natural Resource Partners L.P. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About China Coal Energy

China Coal Energy Company Limited primarily engages in the coal production and trading and coal chemical businesses in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers polyolefin, methanol, urea, and other coal chemical products. It is also involved in the coal mining equipment manufacturing, pithead power generation, and other activities. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Coal Energy Company Limited operates as a subsidiary of China National Coal Group Co., Ltd.