Oil and gas · 23/36 against 21/36 checks · to 2026-09-08
OXY vs SLB.
Occidental PetroleumProduces oil and gas, mostly in the US Permian Basin, with Berkshire as a large holder.
SLBThe largest oilfield services company, helping producers find and extract oil and gas.→Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and SLB (SLB) are within reach of each other at $60.6B and $84.7B, and on the filings Occidental Petroleum passes more, 23 checks of 36 against 21.
Which passes more checks?
widest gap first→No axis separates them by more than 2 of six checks, and the widest is Growth. They score identically on 3 of the six, so the difference between them is narrower than a headline suggests.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | 3/6 | 1/6 |
| Quality | 5/6 | 4/6 |
| Shareholder returns | 3/6 | 4/6 |
| Value | 2/6 | 2/6 |
| Health | 4/6 | 4/6 |
| Trend analysis | 6/6 | 6/6 |
| All checks | 23/36 | 21/36 |
→SLB turns over $36.4B to Occidental Petroleum's $23.2B, 1.6 times as much. Occidental Petroleum keeps 31.5% of revenue as profit against 8.5% at SLB.
Which is growing faster, OXY or SLB?
→Occidental Petroleum grew revenue faster last year, +15.2% against +2.5% at SLB - 13 points apart. Over three years the order is reversed: SLB compounds at +8.3% against -15.9%.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (TTM) | $23.2B | $36.4B |
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +15.2% | +2.5% |
| Revenue CAGR, 3 years | -15.9% | +8.3% |
| Net income (TTM) | $7.3B | $3.1B |
| Free cash flow (TTM) | $4.8B | $4.8B |
Which keeps more of each sale?
→Occidental Petroleum keeps more of each sale: gross margin of 87.3% against 77.0%, a gap of 10 points that flows into everything below it.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 87.3% | 77.0% |
| Operating margin | - | 18.6% |
| Return on equity | 17.5% | 11.9% |
Which hands more back to owners?
→Both pay: Occidental Petroleum yields the more at 2.0% against 1.9%. A yield rises when a price falls, so read it beside the payout checks in each report.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend yield | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Payout ratio | 16.2% | 51.7% |
| Years of unbroken dividend | - | - |
Which is cheaper?
→Occidental Petroleum is the cheaper of the two on earnings, 8.3x against 26.5x. Against their own histories, Occidental Petroleum is below its 11.9x median and SLB is above its 16.9x.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $60.65 | $57.10 |
| Market cap | $60.6B | $84.7B |
| P/E | 8.3x | 26.5x |
| P/E, own median own 7-year median / own 7-year median | 11.9x | 16.9x |
| P/S | 2.6x | 2.3x |
| Free cash flow yield | 7.9% | 5.7% |
Which balance sheet is stronger?
→Both lean on debt to a similar degree, 0.32x to equity at Occidental Petroleum and 0.43x at SLB.
| OXY | SLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Debt / equity | 0.32x | 0.43x |
| Interest coverage | - | 13.2x |
| Cash and short-term investments | $4.2B | $4.5B |
Where they differ most
the checks behind the gapGrowth: Occidental Petroleum 2 ahead
- Outgrew its sector last year 15.2% vs 9.8% (sector 70th pct, n=80)
- Profits grew last year 200.5% vs 0.0%
- Growth is speeding up, not slowing 1y 15.2% vs 3y -15.9%
- Outgrew its sector last year 2.5% vs 9.8% (sector 70th pct, n=80)
- Sustained growth beats its sector (3 years) 8.3% vs 24.9% (sector 70th pct, n=72)
- Profits grew last year -24.2% vs 0.0%
Quality: Occidental Petroleum 1 ahead
- Better gross margins than peers 87.3% vs 52.5% (market 70th pct)
- Actually profitable TTM net income $7.3B
- Earns well on shareholders' money 17.5% vs 12.7% (sector 70th pct, n=66)
- Runs leaner than peers (operating margin) 18.6% vs 25.4% (sector 70th pct, n=71)
- Earns well on shareholders' money 11.9% vs 12.7% (sector 70th pct, n=66)