Head to Head Survey: American States Water (NYSE:AWR) & Suez (OTCMKTS:SZEVF)

American States Water (NYSE:AWR) and Suez (OTCMKTS:SZEVF) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

75.2% of American States Water shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of American States Water shares are owned 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for American States Water and Suez, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American States Water	0	2	1	0	2.33
Suez	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares American States Water and Suez’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American States Water	20.52%	13.50%	5.26%
Suez	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares American States Water and Suez”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American States Water	$697.48 million	5.14	$130.44 million	$3.65	24.78
Suez	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

American States Water has higher revenue and earnings than Suez.

Summary

American States Water beats Suez on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American States Water

American States Water Company, through its subsidiaries, provides water and electric services to residential, commercial, industrial, and other customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company purchases, produces, distributes, and sells water, as well as distributes electricity. As of December 31, 2022, American States Water Company provided water service to 263,265 customers located throughout 10 counties in the State of California; and distributed electricity to 24,705 customers in San Bernardino County mountain communities in California. The company also provides water and/or wastewater services, including the operation, maintenance, and construction of facilities at the water and/or wastewater systems at various military installations. American States Water Company was incorporated in 1929 and is headquartered in San Dimas, California.

About Suez

SUEZ SA engages in the provision of water and waste management services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Water, Recycling and Recovery, Environmental Technology and Solutions (ETS), and Other. The Water segment offers water distribution and treatment services, particularly under concession contracts. The Recycling and Recovery segment includes waste and waste treatment services for local authorities and industrial clients. The ETS segment consists of water services for the industrial customer segment, hazardous waste services as well as customized services, technologies and solutions for industrial or municipal customers, as well as consulting services. The Other segment refers to the holdings. The company was founded in 1822 and is headquartered in Paris, France.