Occidental vs. Hess: Which Energy Stock Deserves a Spot in Your Folio?

The companies belonging to the Zacks Oil & Gas – Integrated - United States industry offer a strong investment case based on energy security, solid infrastructure, and supportive regulations. The U.S. shale boom has improved cost efficiency, scalable production, and access to top-tier pipelines and refineries, boosting profitability and resilience. U.S. companies are well-positioned to meet long-term domestic natural gas demand, driven by power generation and coal-to-gas transition, as well as rising LNG exports.

These companies' selective overseas production activities offer valuable diversification and access to higher-margin barrels in specific regions, often through long-term production sharing agreements. This global presence helps mitigate risks from localized downturns or regulatory changes while enabling them to capitalize on growing demand in emerging markets. Amid such a backdrop, let us focus on Occidental Petroleum OXY and Hess Corporation HES as they are navigating through industry challenges to provide strong returns to investors.

Occidental Petroleum is a strong investment opportunity, combining steady cash flow from its Permian Basin and global oil and gas assets with a growing focus on carbon management solutions. Supported by Berkshire Hathaway's backing, the company offers long-term value through its balanced approach to traditional energy production and scalable low-carbon technologies.

Hess Corporation offers a compelling investment opportunity, underpinned by its strategic assets and commitment to sustainable growth. It is also proactively transitioning towards sustainable energy and has invested in renewable energy projects. These initiatives align with its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify its energy portfolio. HESS is undergoing a major transition with its pending acquisition by Chevron, which is currently under arbitration due to disputes over its Guyana assets.

Both stocks mentioned above are the key operators in the Oil and Gas industry space. Let us dive deeper and closely compare the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which is a better investment option for investors.

OXY & HES’ Earnings Growth Projections

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Occidental Petroleum’s earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 32.66% for 2025 and growth of 14.38% for 2026.

OXY's Earnings Estimates

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hess Corporation’s earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 38.53% for 2025 and growth of 20.14% for 2026.

HES’ Earnings Estimates

OXY & HES’ Dividend Yield

Dividends are regular payments made by a company to its shareholders and represent a direct way for investors to earn a return on their investment. They are an important indicator of a company’s financial health and stability, often signaling strong cash flow and consistent earnings.

Currently, the dividend yield for Occidental Petroleum is 2.33%, while the same for Hess Corporation is 1.53%. The dividend yield of OXY is higher than the S&P 500’s yield of 1.6%.

Return on Equity (ROE)

ROE is an essential financial indicator that evaluates a company’s efficiency in generating profits from the equity invested by its shareholders. It demonstrates how well management is utilizing the capital provided to increase earnings and deliver value. OXY’s current ROE is 16.6% compared with HES’ ROE of 21.78%, the industry’s ROE of 16.94%.

Debt to Capital

The Zacks Oil & Energy sector is a capital-intensive one, and huge investments are required at regular intervals to upgrade, maintain and expand operations. The usage of new evolving technology also requires investments. 

Occidental Petroleum’s debt-to-capital currently stands at 40.64% compared with Hess Corporation’s debt-to-capital of 41.48%.  

Valuation

Occidental Petroleum appears to be cheaper compared with Hess Corporation on trailing 12-month Enterprise Value/Earnings before Interest Tax Depreciation and Amortization (EV/EBITDA).

OXY is currently trading at 4.87X, while HES is trading at 7.23X compared with its sector’s 4.59X.

Price Performance

Last month, shares of Occidental Petroleum gained 4.5% compared with Hess Corporation’s rally of 2.1%.

Conclusion

Occidental Petroleum's persistent focus on Permian resources has been beneficial for the company. Nearly 83% of Occidental’s production comes from its domestic assets. Stable international operation and ongoing reduction of debt will continue to act as a tailwind.

International operations, particularly assets in Guyana, are a major source of oil and gas production for Hess Corporation. 

Based on the above discussion, we will suggest OXY, which carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), should be in your oil and gas portfolio and avoid Hess Corporation, carrying a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) for the time being.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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