Head to Head Contrast: Via Renewables (NASDAQ:VIA) vs. Emera (OTCMKTS:EMRAF)

Emera (OTCMKTS:EMRAF) and Via Renewables (NASDAQ:VIA) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Emera and Via Renewables’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Emera	N/A	N/A	N/A
Via Renewables	3.44%	48.61%	4.93%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

23.8% of Emera shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.4% of Via Renewables shares are owned by institutional investors. 66.2% of Via Renewables shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Emera and Via Renewables’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Emera	N/A	N/A	N/A	$1.97	17.37
Via Renewables	$435.19 million	0.18	$14.98 million	$0.95	11.48

Via Renewables has higher revenue and earnings than Emera. Via Renewables is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Emera, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Emera and Via Renewables, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Emera	0	1	0	0	2.00
Via Renewables	0	0	0	0	N/A

Emera currently has a consensus price target of $61.40, suggesting a potential upside of 79.90%. Given Emera’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Emera is more favorable than Via Renewables.

Summary

Via Renewables beats Emera on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Emera

Emera Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity to various customers. The company operates through Florida Electric Utility, Canadian Electric Utilities, Other Electric Utilities, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Other segments. It generates electricity through natural gas, solar, hydroelectricity, coal, and biomass power plants. The company is also involved in the purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas; and the provision of energy marketing, trading, and other energy asset management services. In addition, it transports re-gasified liquefied natural gas from Saint John, New Brunswick to consumers in the northeastern United States through its 145-kilometer pipeline. As of December 31, 2023, the company's electric utilities served approximately 840,000 customers in West Central Florida; 549,000 customers in Nova Scotia; 134,000 customers in the island of Barbados; 19,000 customers in the Grand Bahama Island; and gas utilities and infrastructure served approximately 490,000 customers across Florida and 540,000 customers in New Mexico. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.

About Via Renewables

Via Renewables, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an independent retail energy services company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Retail Electricity and Retail Natural Gas. The Retail Electricity segment engages in the transmission and sale of electricity to residential and commercial customers. The Retail Natural Gas segment is involved in the transportation, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential and commercial customers. It also provides broker services for retail energy customers; and wireless services and equipment to wireless customers. The company offers its services under the Electricity Maine, Electricity N.H., Major Energy, Provider Power Massachusetts, Spark Energy, and Verde Energy brand names. It operates in 104 utility service territories across 20 states and the District of Columbia; and has approximately 335,000 residential customer equivalents. The company was formerly known as Spark Energy, Inc. and changed its name to Via Renewables, Inc. in August 2021. Via Renewables, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.