Contrasting Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) & Centuri (NYSE:CTRI)

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) and Centuri (NYSE:CTRI) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Ballard Power Systems and Centuri, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ballard Power Systems	4	12	0	0	1.75
Centuri	2	1	3	0	2.17

Ballard Power Systems currently has a consensus target price of $2.33, indicating a potential downside of 9.69%. Centuri has a consensus target price of $26.40, indicating a potential downside of 5.40%. Given Centuri’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Centuri is more favorable than Ballard Power Systems.

Risk & Volatility

Ballard Power Systems has a beta of 1.65, suggesting that its share price is 65% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Centuri has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ballard Power Systems and Centuri”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ballard Power Systems	$69.73 million	11.13	-$324.24 million	($0.40)	-6.45
Centuri	$2.64 billion	1.05	-$6.72 million	$0.03	930.27

Centuri has higher revenue and earnings than Ballard Power Systems. Ballard Power Systems 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 Ballard Power Systems and Centuri’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ballard Power Systems	-132.80%	-17.89%	-15.43%
Centuri	0.09%	6.37%	1.71%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

28.0% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Centuri shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Centuri beats Ballard Power Systems on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, sale, and service of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell products. The company offers its products for power product comprising for bus, truck, rail, marine, stationary, and emerging market, such as material handling, off-road, and other applications. It also engages in the delivery of services, including technology solutions, after sales services, and training; and provision of engineering services, product and systems integration services, and related technology transfer for a variety of PEM fuel cell applications. It operates in the United States, Germany, Canada, China, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Belgium, India, Taiwan, Spain, Norway, Australia, Japan, and internationally. The company has a strategic alliance with Linamar Corporation for the co-development and sale of fuel cell powertrains and components for class 1 and 2 vehicles in North America and Europe. Ballard Power Systems Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

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.