Contrasting Jiangsu Expressway (OTCMKTS:JEXYY) and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (NASDAQ:GLDD)

Jiangsu Expressway (OTCMKTS:JEXYY) and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (NASDAQ:GLDD) are both construction companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Volatility and Risk

Jiangsu Expressway has a beta of 0.26, suggesting that its share price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has a beta of 1.34, suggesting that its share price is 34% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Jiangsu Expressway and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Jiangsu Expressway	0	0	0	0	0.00
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock	0	0	1	1	3.50

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has a consensus price target of $14.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.35%. Given Great Lakes Dredge & Dock’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Great Lakes Dredge & Dock is more favorable than Jiangsu Expressway.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

89.1% of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.0% of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Jiangsu Expressway and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Jiangsu Expressway	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock	$762.69 million	1.05	$57.26 million	$1.05	11.17

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has higher revenue and earnings than Jiangsu Expressway.

Profitability

This table compares Jiangsu Expressway and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Jiangsu Expressway	N/A	N/A	N/A
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock	8.63%	15.61%	5.88%

Summary

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock beats Jiangsu Expressway on 11 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Jiangsu Expressway

Jiangsu Expressway Company Limited engages in investment, construction, operation, and management of toll roads and bridges in the People's Republic of China. The company operates the Jiangsu section of Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, Ningchang Expressway, Zhenli Expressway, Guangjing Expressway, Xicheng Expressway, Xiyi Expressway, Zhendan Expressway, Yanjiang Expressway, Jiangyin Bridge, Sujiahang Expressway, Changyi Expressway, Yichang Expressway, and Wufengshan Bridge. As of December 31, 2022, it operated 17 road and bridge projects; and owned approximately 910 kilometers of roads and bridges. The company also offers passenger transportation; and ancillary services, including refueling, catering, shopping, automobile maintenance, advertising and accommodation, etc. In addition, it engages in the real estate development; and sale of electricity and petroleum products. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Nanjing, China. Jiangsu Expressway Company Limited is a subsidiary of JiangSu Communications Holding Co., Ltd.

About Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. engages in the provision of dredging services. Its projects include channel and port maintenance, channel deepening and port expansion, coastal protection and restoration, as well as land reclamation. The company was founded by William A. Lydon and Frederick C. Drews in 1890 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.