Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX – Get Free Report) and VIPR (OTCMKTS:VIPV – Get Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Middlesex Water and VIPR, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Middlesex Water | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
| VIPR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Middlesex Water presently has a consensus target price of $61.67, indicating a potential upside of 5.92%. Given Middlesex Water’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Middlesex Water is more favorable than VIPR.
Valuation & Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Middlesex Water | $194.69 million | 5.63 | $42.82 million | $2.59 | 22.48 |
| VIPR | N/A | N/A | N/A | ($3.49) | N/A |
Middlesex Water has higher revenue and earnings than VIPR. VIPR is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Middlesex Water, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
79.5% of Middlesex Water shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of Middlesex Water shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 12.7% of VIPR 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.
Profitability
This table compares Middlesex Water and VIPR’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Middlesex Water | 23.26% | 9.59% | 3.48% |
| VIPR | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Summary
Middlesex Water beats VIPR on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Middlesex Water
Middlesex Water Company owns and operates regulated water utility and wastewater systems. It operates in Regulated and Non-Regulated segments. The Regulated segment collects, treats, and distributes water on a retail and wholesale basis to residential, commercial, industrial, and fire protection customers, as well as provides regulated wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. The Non-Regulated segment provides non-regulated contract services for the operation and maintenance of municipal and private water and wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. Middlesex Water Company was incorporated in 1896 and is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey.
About VIPR
VIPR Corp. focuses on the acquisition, development, and marketing of strategic nutraceutical and nutraceutical related products for personal consumption, apparel, and home applications. VIPR Corp. was formerly known as S2C Global Systems Inc. and changed its name to VIPR Corp. in August 2014. The company is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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