Reviewing Severn Trent (SVTRF) and Its Competitors

Severn Trent (OTCMKTS:SVTRF) is one of 38 public companies in the “Water Utilities” industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Severn Trent to similar businesses based on the strength of its earnings, dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Severn Trent and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Severn Trent	0	0	1	0	3.00
Severn Trent Competitors	401	1199	1004	29	2.25

As a group, “Water Utilities” companies have a potential upside of 96.97%. Given Severn Trent’s rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Severn Trent has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Profitability

This table compares Severn Trent and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Severn Trent	N/A	N/A	N/A
Severn Trent Competitors	4.68%	3.14%	1.99%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Severn Trent and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Severn Trent	N/A	N/A	48.86
Severn Trent Competitors	$4.33 billion	$270.20 million	14.86

Severn Trent’s rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Severn Trent. Severn Trent is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Severn Trent pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Severn Trent pays out 98.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, “Water Utilities” companies pay a dividend yield of 4.3% and pay out 84.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Severn Trent lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

37.3% of Severn Trent shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.7% of shares of all “Water Utilities” companies are owned by institutional investors. 7.7% of shares of all “Water Utilities” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Severn Trent rivals beat Severn Trent on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

About Severn Trent

Severn Trent PLC operates as a water and sewerage company in England and Wales. It operates through two segments: Regulated Water and Waste Water, and Business Services. The Regulated Water and Waste Water segment offers water and waste water services to approximately 4.8 million households and businesses. The Business Services segment generates renewable energy from anaerobic digestion, hydropower, wind turbines, and solar panels; property development; and offers affinity products and search services. It also provides services to municipal and industrial clients, including the Ministry of Defence and the Coal Authority for design, build, and operation of water and wastewater treatment facilities and networks. Severn Trent PLC was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Coventry, the United Kingdom.