Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) and American Energy Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPTD) Head to Head Survey

American Energy Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPTD) and Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) are both small-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

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

Profitability

This table compares American Energy Partners and Middlesex Water’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Energy Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A
Middlesex Water	23.26%	9.59%	3.48%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for American Energy Partners and Middlesex Water, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Energy Partners	0	0	0	0	0.00
Middlesex Water	0	1	1	0	2.50

Middlesex Water has a consensus price target of $61.67, suggesting a potential upside of 5.00%. Given Middlesex Water’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Middlesex Water is more favorable than American Energy Partners.

Volatility & Risk

American Energy Partners has a beta of 2.92, indicating that its share price is 192% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Middlesex Water has a beta of 0.75, indicating that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Energy Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Middlesex Water	$194.69 million	5.68	$42.82 million	$2.59	22.68

Middlesex Water has higher revenue and earnings than American Energy Partners.

Summary

Middlesex Water beats American Energy Partners on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Energy Partners

American Energy Partners, Inc., through its subsidiaries, sources, treats, and distributes reclaimed water in the United States. The company engages in the design, construction, and operation of regional water treatment facilities that serve industrial, energy, and government sectors. It also focuses on drilling, operating, and partnership opportunities in the upstream oil and gas space. It also provides geotechnical services. The company is based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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.