Head-To-Head Comparison: Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) versus Two Rivers Water & Farming (OTCMKTS:TURV)

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) and Two Rivers Water & Farming (OTCMKTS:TURV) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Middlesex Water and Two Rivers Water & Farming, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Middlesex Water	1	0	2	1	2.75
Two Rivers Water & Farming	0	0	0	0	0.00

Middlesex Water presently has a consensus price target of $61.00, suggesting a potential upside of 16.75%. Given Middlesex Water’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Middlesex Water is more favorable than Two Rivers Water & Farming.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Middlesex Water and Two Rivers Water & Farming”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Middlesex Water	$191.88 million	4.88	$44.35 million	$2.41	21.68
Two Rivers Water & Farming	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Middlesex Water has higher revenue and earnings than Two Rivers Water & Farming.

Profitability

This table compares Middlesex Water and Two Rivers Water & Farming’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Middlesex Water	22.05%	9.76%	3.43%
Two Rivers Water & Farming	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

79.5% of Middlesex Water shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Middlesex Water shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.6% of Two Rivers Water & Farming shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Middlesex Water beats Two Rivers Water & Farming on 9 of the 10 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 Two Rivers Water & Farming

Two Rivers Water & Farming Company owns a portfolio of water rights in the Arkansas River Basin in southeastern Colorado. It operates through Greenhouse and Water segments. As of December 31, 2018, the company managed a total of 6,265 acres of land. It also develops and leases greenhouses and warehouses. The company was formerly known as Two Rivers Water Company and changed its name to Two Rivers Water & Farming Company in December 2012. Two Rivers Water & Farming Company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Aurora, Colorado.