Global Water Resources (GWRS) Competitors

Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) and Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, institutional ownership and profitability.

Does the media refer more to GWRS or WTRG?

In the previous week, Essential Utilities had 8 more articles in the media than Global Water Resources. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Essential Utilities and 2 mentions for Global Water Resources. Essential Utilities' average media sentiment score of 1.07 beat Global Water Resources' score of 0.94 indicating that Essential Utilities is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Global Water Resources	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Essential Utilities	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is GWRS or WTRG more profitable?

Essential Utilities has a net margin of 27.17% compared to Global Water Resources' net margin of 10.63%. Global Water Resources' return on equity of 11.27% beat Essential Utilities' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Global Water Resources	10.63%	11.27%	1.52%
Essential Utilities	27.17%	9.81%	3.45%

Which has better earnings and valuation, GWRS or WTRG?

Essential Utilities has higher revenue and earnings than Global Water Resources. Essential Utilities is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Global Water Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Global Water Resources	$52.69M	5.45	$5.79M	$0.23	45.48
Essential Utilities	$2.09B	5.08	$595.31M	$2.23	16.96

Is GWRS or WTRG a better dividend stock?

Global Water Resources pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Essential Utilities pays an annual dividend of $1.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Global Water Resources pays out 130.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Essential Utilities pays out 58.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Global Water Resources has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years and Essential Utilities has raised its dividend for 32 consecutive years. Essential Utilities is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts rate GWRS or WTRG?

Essential Utilities has a consensus price target of $43.50, suggesting a potential upside of 15.03%. Given Essential Utilities' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Essential Utilities is more favorable than Global Water Resources.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Global Water Resources	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Essential Utilities	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83

Which has more volatility and risk, GWRS or WTRG?

Global Water Resources has a beta of 1.03, indicating that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Essential Utilities has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of GWRS or WTRG?

27.9% of Global Water Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.8% of Essential Utilities shares are owned by institutional investors. 54.3% of Global Water Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Essential Utilities shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Essential Utilities beats Global Water Resources on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.