Middlesex Water (MSEX) Competitors

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) and Artesian Resources (NASDAQ:ARTNA) are both small-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MSEX or ARTNA?

79.5% of Middlesex Water shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.4% of Artesian Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Middlesex Water shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.6% of Artesian Resources shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is MSEX or ARTNA a better dividend stock?

Middlesex Water pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Artesian Resources pays an annual dividend of $1.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Middlesex Water pays out 56.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Artesian Resources pays out 56.7% 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. Middlesex Water has raised its dividend for 52 consecutive years and Artesian Resources has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

Do analysts prefer MSEX or ARTNA?

Middlesex Water presently has a consensus price target of $61.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.87%. Given Middlesex Water's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Middlesex Water is more favorable than Artesian Resources.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Middlesex Water	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60
Artesian Resources	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Does the media refer more to MSEX or ARTNA?

In the previous week, Middlesex Water had 1 more articles in the media than Artesian Resources. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Middlesex Water and 0 mentions for Artesian Resources. Middlesex Water's average media sentiment score of 1.04 beat Artesian Resources' score of 0.00 indicating that Middlesex Water is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Middlesex Water	Positive
Artesian Resources	Neutral

Is MSEX or ARTNA more profitable?

Middlesex Water has a net margin of 22.15% compared to Artesian Resources' net margin of 20.84%. Middlesex Water's return on equity of 9.67% beat Artesian Resources' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Middlesex Water	22.15%	9.67%	3.42%
Artesian Resources	20.84%	9.55%	2.86%

Which has higher valuation and earnings, MSEX or ARTNA?

Middlesex Water has higher revenue and earnings than Artesian Resources. Artesian Resources is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Middlesex 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
Middlesex Water	$191.88M	5.03	$44.35M	$2.42	22.14
Artesian Resources	$107.95M	3.05	$20.39M	$2.17	14.71

Which has more volatility & risk, MSEX or ARTNA?

Middlesex Water has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Artesian Resources has a beta of 0.34, indicating that its stock price is 66% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Middlesex Water beats Artesian Resources on 18 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.