Head to Head Contrast: Centuri (NYSE:CTRI) vs. Algonquin Power & Utilities (NYSE:AQN)

Centuri (NYSE:CTRI) and Algonquin Power & Utilities (NYSE:AQN) are both mid-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Centuri and Algonquin Power & Utilities, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Centuri	2	1	2	0	2.00
Algonquin Power & Utilities	0	7	6	0	2.46

Centuri currently has a consensus price target of $28.85, suggesting a potential downside of 3.80%. Algonquin Power & Utilities has a consensus price target of $6.66, suggesting a potential upside of 7.63%. Given Algonquin Power & Utilities’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Algonquin Power & Utilities is more favorable than Centuri.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Centuri and Algonquin Power & Utilities”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Centuri	$2.98 billion	1.01	$22.40 million	$0.23	130.39
Algonquin Power & Utilities	$2.43 billion	1.95	$180.80 million	$0.23	26.90

Algonquin Power & Utilities has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Centuri. Algonquin Power & Utilities is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Centuri, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Centuri and Algonquin Power & Utilities’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Centuri	0.76%	5.09%	1.50%
Algonquin Power & Utilities	7.32%	5.47%	1.95%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

62.3% of Algonquin Power & Utilities shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Centuri shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Algonquin Power & Utilities shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Centuri has a beta of 0.73, meaning that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Algonquin Power & Utilities has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Algonquin Power & Utilities beats Centuri on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Centuri

Centuri Holdings, Inc. operates as a utility infrastructure services company in North America. It offers gas utility services, including maintenance, repair, installation, and replacement services for natural gas local distribution utility companies with focus on the modernization of infrastructure. The company also provides electric utility services comprising design, maintenance and repair, upgrade, and expansion services for transmission and distribution infrastructure. Its customers include electric, gas, and combination utility companies, as well as serves end markets, such as renewable energy and 5G datacom. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Centuri Holdings, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.

About Algonquin Power & Utilities

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. is an investment holding company, which engages in energy generation and water distribution facilities. It operates through the Regulated Services Group and Renewable Energy Group segments. The Regulated Services Group segment owns and operates a portfolio of electric, natural gas, water distribution, and wastewater collection utility systems and transmission. The Renewable Energy Group segment focuses on operating a diversified portfolio of renewable and thermal electric generation assets. The company was founded on August 1, 1988 and is headquartered in Oakville, Canada.