Which Is a Better Investment, Occidental Petroleum Corporation or Shell plc Stock?

By Omar Beirat
June 07, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Shell plc or Occidental Petroleum Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and other parts of the Americas. It operates through the following segments: Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions. The company explores for and extracts natural gas to produce liquefied natural gas or convert it into gas-to-liquids (GTL) fuels and other products; explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; and operates marketing and transportation of oil, gas, and liquids, supported by the infrastructure required to deliver them to market or to process them within Shell's chemical manufacturing plants and refineries. It is also involved in marketing, which includes mobility, lubricants, and sectors focused on decarbonization; operates a retail network, including electric vehicle charging, convenience retail, and the wholesale commercial fuels business for transport and industry; sells products for road transport and machinery in manufacturing, mining, power generation, agriculture, and construction; and provides low-carbon energy solutions, such as biofuels, to a broad range of commercial customers, including those in the aviation, marine, and agriculture sectors. In addition, the company offers chemicals and products, including chemicals manufacturing plants with their own marketing network, and refineries that turn crude oil and other feedstocks into a range of oil products, which are moved and marketed around the world for domestic, industrial, and transport use; and operates a pipeline business, trading, and optimization of crude oil, oil products, and petrochemicals. The company was formerly known as Royal Dutch Shell plc and changed its name to Shell plc in January 2022. Shell plc was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States and internationally. It operates through Oil and Gas and Midstream and Marketing. The Oil and Gas segment explores for, develops, and produces oil and condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas. This segment also optimizes its transportation and storage capacity and invests in entities. The Midstream and Marketing segment purchases, markets, gathers, processes, transports and stores oil, condensate, NGLs, natural gas, carbon dioxide, and power. Occidental Petroleum Corporation was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Latest Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and Shell plc, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Stock News

As of June 5, 2026, Shell plc had a $241.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels median of $2.3 million. Shell plc’s stock is up 16.2% in 2026, up 1.5% in the previous five trading days and up 26.95% in the past year.

Currently, Shell plc’s price-earnings ratio is 26.7. Shell plc’s trailing 12-month revenue is $267.3 billion with a 7.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 0.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $10.694 per share for the current fiscal year. Shell plc currently has a 3.5% dividend yield.

As of June 5, 2026, Occidental Petroleum Corporation had a $56.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 94th percentile of all stocks. Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s stock is up 38.4% in 2026, up 0.5% in the previous five trading days and up 35.84% in the past year.

Currently, Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 76.9. Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $21.1 billion with a 22.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -8.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.664 per share for the current fiscal year. Occidental Petroleum Corporation currently has a 1.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
Shell plc SHEL C
Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Shell plc has a Value Score of 57, which is Average. Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a Value Score of 32, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Shell plc or Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Shell plc or Occidental Petroleum Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Shell plc SHEL C
Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Shell plc has a Momentum Score of 56, which is Average. Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a Momentum Score of 65, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Occidental Petroleum Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Occidental Petroleum Corporation is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Shell plc. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Occidental Petroleum Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Shell plc SHEL C
Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Shell plc has a Earnings Estimate Score of 60, which is Neutral. Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 79, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Occidental Petroleum Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Shell plc. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Occidental Petroleum Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

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Other Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation Grades

In addition to Momentum, Estimate Revisions and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Quality.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Shell plc or Occidental Petroleum Corporation Stock?

Overall, Shell plc stock has a Value Score of 57, Momentum Score of 56 and Estimate Revisions Score of 60.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation stock has a Value Score of 32, Momentum Score of 65 and Estimate Revisions Score of 79.

Comparing Shell plc and Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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