Better Buy: ExxonMobil vs. Royal Dutch Shell

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A) (NYSE: RDS-B) are two of the largest integrated oil and gas companies in the world. With rich histories that date back to the beginnings of the discovery, marketing, and mass production of oil, Exxon and Shell are largely responsible for shaping the developed world into what it is today.

Yet a brutal oil downturn that peaked in late 2015 and early 2016, environmental concerns surrounding the long-term implications of oil-based economies and oil spills, and workplace safety concerns contributed to a disappointing decade for Exxon and Shell. With the new decade upon us, it's time to determine which company has best learned from the past to better position itself for the future.