Head to Head Survey: Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) versus Commerce Energy Group (OTCMKTS:CMNR)

Commerce Energy Group (OTCMKTS:CMNR) and Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Commerce Energy Group and Eversource Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Commerce Energy Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Eversource Energy	0	7	6	0	2.46

Eversource Energy has a consensus price target of $70.46, suggesting a potential upside of 12.40%. Given Eversource Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Eversource Energy is more favorable than Commerce Energy Group.

Risk & Volatility

Commerce Energy Group has a beta of -3.17, meaning that its stock price is 417% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Eversource Energy has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

80.0% of Eversource Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Commerce Energy Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Eversource Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Commerce Energy Group and Eversource Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Commerce Energy Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Eversource Energy	$11.91 billion	1.93	-$442.24 million	($1.57)	-39.93

Commerce Energy Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Eversource Energy.

Profitability

This table compares Commerce Energy Group and Eversource Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Commerce Energy Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Eversource Energy	-4.73%	10.90%	2.78%

Summary

Eversource Energy beats Commerce Energy Group on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Commerce Energy Group

Commerce Energy Group Inc. through its subsidiaries provides electric power and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers in California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Ohio. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Costa Mesa, California.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas. The company operates regulated water utilities that provide water services to approximately 241,000 customers. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, municipal and fire protection, and other customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The company was formerly known as Northeast Utilities and changed its name to Eversource Energy in April 2015. Eversource Energy was incorporated in 1927 and is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts.