H2O America (HTO) Competitors

H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) and American States Water (NYSE:AWR) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability and earnings.

Is HTO or AWR more profitable?

American States Water has a net margin of 20.26% compared to H2O America's net margin of 13.03%. American States Water's return on equity of 13.14% beat H2O America's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
H2O America	13.03%	7.67%	2.27%
American States Water	20.26%	13.14%	4.86%

Is HTO or AWR a better dividend stock?

H2O America pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. American States Water pays an annual dividend of $2.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. H2O America pays out 55.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. American States Water pays out 61.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. H2O America has increased its dividend for 57 consecutive years and American States Water has increased its dividend for 71 consecutive years. H2O America is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, HTO or AWR?

American States Water has lower revenue, but higher earnings than H2O America. H2O America is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American States Water, 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
H2O America	$748.44M	2.28	$93.97M	$3.05	15.83
American States Water	$595.46M	4.62	$119.27M	$3.27	21.87

Does the media refer more to HTO or AWR?

In the previous week, American States Water had 4 more articles in the media than H2O America. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for American States Water and 1 mentions for H2O America. H2O America's average media sentiment score of 1.91 beat American States Water's score of 1.71 indicating that H2O America is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
H2O America	Very Positive
American States Water	Very Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, HTO or AWR?

H2O America has a beta of 0.54, meaning that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American States Water has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate HTO or AWR?

H2O America presently has a consensus target price of $56.50, indicating a potential upside of 17.03%. American States Water has a consensus target price of $77.50, indicating a potential upside of 8.39%. Given H2O America's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe H2O America is more favorable than American States Water.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
H2O America	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
American States Water	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.50

Do institutionals and insiders believe in HTO or AWR?

84.3% of H2O America shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.2% of American States Water shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of H2O America shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of American States Water shares are held by 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

American States Water beats H2O America on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.