Analyzing China Coal Energy (OTC:CCOZF) & Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP)

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

Dividends

China Coal Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. Natural Resource Partners pays an annual dividend of $3.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. China Coal Energy pays out 70.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Natural Resource Partners pays out 22.5% 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. Natural Resource Partners has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for China Coal Energy and Natural Resource Partners, as provided by MarketBeat.

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

Earnings & Valuation

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
China Coal Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.10	11.18
Natural Resource Partners	$370.01 million	3.33	$278.43 million	$13.34	7.13

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.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

5.2% of China Coal Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.8% of Natural Resource Partners 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, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

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

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

Summary

Natural Resource Partners beats China Coal Energy on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

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.