COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
CRK vs SM
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CRK scored 44.6, SM scored 61.4 — SM leads.
Compare another set
CRK
Comstock Resources, Inc.
44.6
$14.22 · $4.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
16.8
SM leads
SM
SM Energy Company
61.4
$37.20 · $8.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthSM+75.4%
- Strongest balance sheetSM0.95
- Highest qualitySM73 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueSM-39%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CRK
stronger →← stronger
SM
51
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
73
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
35
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
64
SM is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CRK
SM
-$735mF
FCF
$743mC+
+31.6%A
Rev
+75.4%A
1.00C
D/E
0.95C+
1.9xB
P/S
—
4.64D
PEG
0.65A-
—
P/E
6.6xA
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CRK
SM
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
39% below
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-7%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
+59%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+63%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+69%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CRK
Why this score
- Cyclical growth
SM
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Cyclical growth
The companies
CRKComstock Resources, Inc.
Why now
Oil & Gas E&P · market cap $4.2b. Down 49% from 52-week high of $28.10 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +32% — in hypergrowth territory. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $15.04 (implying +6% upside).
Moat
Net margin 23% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 20% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$735m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 49% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Hedge-book exposure — many commodity producers hedge forward production; if the hedge book is concentrated at prices well below spot, the upside the market expects is already locked away.
SMSM Energy Company
Why now
Oil & Gas E&P · market cap $8.8b. Trading near 52-week high of $38.25 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue growing +75% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.65 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $40.60 (implying +9% upside).
Moat
Net margin 18% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Trading within 3% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction. Commodity exposure — earnings power tracks the price of the underlying commodity, not management execution. A 15-20% move in the commodity reprices the equity well before fundamentals catch up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where CRK and SM diverge
On the headline score the gap is 16.8 points in favor of SM. The widest single difference is Value, where SM leads by 29.0 points.
- ValueCRK 34.6 · SM 63.6SM +29.0
- QualityCRK 51.2 · SM 72.8SM +21.6
- GrowthCRK 50.0 · SM 50.0level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.