Head to Head Survey: Ameren (NYSE:AEE) vs. Premier (OTCMKTS:PRHL)

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) and Premier (OTCMKTS:PRHL) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, dividends and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

79.1% of Ameren shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Ameren shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Premier shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ameren and Premier”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ameren	$8.80 billion	3.50	$1.46 billion	$5.35	20.84
Premier	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ameren has higher revenue and earnings than Premier.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Ameren and Premier, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameren	1	6	5	1	2.46
Premier	0	0	0	0	0.00

Ameren currently has a consensus price target of $113.30, suggesting a potential upside of 1.64%. Given Ameren’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ameren is more favorable than Premier.

Profitability

This table compares Ameren and Premier’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameren	16.55%	10.69%	2.91%
Premier	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Ameren beats Premier on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution business. In addition, the company generates electricity through coal, nuclear, and natural gas, as well as renewable sources, such as hydroelectric, wind, methane gas, and solar. It serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.

About Premier

Premier Holding Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of energy solutions. The firm operates through its subsidiary companies, Energy Efficiency Experts, Inc. (E3) and The Power Company USA, LLC (TPC). It enables customers to reduce energy consumption, lower operating and maintenance costs, and realize environmental benefits. The company was founded on October 18, 1971 and is headquartered in Tustin, CA.