Reviewing Barnwell Industries (NYSE:BRN) & Hong Kong and China Gas (OTCMKTS:HOKCY)

Hong Kong and China Gas (OTCMKTS:HOKCY) and Barnwell Industries (NYSE:BRN) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Hong Kong and China Gas and Barnwell Industries’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hong Kong and China Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A
Barnwell Industries	-13.29%	-18.20%	-9.39%

Dividends

Hong Kong and China Gas pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.3%. Barnwell Industries pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Barnwell Industries pays out -3.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Hong Kong and China Gas and Barnwell Industries’ revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hong Kong and China Gas	$7.28 billion	1.92	$788.99 million	N/A	N/A
Barnwell Industries	$25.27 million	0.98	-$960,000.00	($0.33)	-7.48

Hong Kong and China Gas has higher revenue and earnings than Barnwell Industries.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Hong Kong and China Gas and Barnwell Industries, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hong Kong and China Gas	0	0	0	0	N/A
Barnwell Industries	0	0	0	0	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Hong Kong and China Gas has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Barnwell Industries has a beta of 0.11, suggesting that its stock price is 89% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

40.7% of Barnwell Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.6% of Barnwell Industries shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Hong Kong and China Gas beats Barnwell Industries on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hong Kong and China Gas

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and markets gas, water supply and energy services in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It is involved in the provision of smart energy, piped city-gas, upstream and midstream projects, water supply and wastewater treatment, urban waste resource utilization, and natural gas filling stations, as well as new energy exploration and utilization activities. The company develops new energy projects that are low in emissions and pollution, which includes clean coal chemical business, liquefaction of methane, etc., as well as supplies town gas. It also provides network connectivity, data center, and ICT services, as well as engineering, procurement, and construction services. In addition, the company offers consultancy and engineering contractor services, including utilities installation, infrastructure construction, and civil and building services engineering for public and private projects; and designs and manufactures gas meters and metering systems. Further, it is involved in water supply, and domestic sewage and industrial wastewater treatment activities. Additionally, the company manufactures polyethylene piping and fittings; as well as engages in the software development, solution implementation, and systems integration activities. The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in North Point, Hong Kong.

About Barnwell Industries

Barnwell Industries, Inc. acquires, develops, produces, and sells oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Oil and Natural Gas, Land Investment, and Contract Drilling. It also acquires and develops crude oil and natural gas assets in the province of Alberta, as well as invests in land interests in Hawaii. In addition, the company owns and operates threes water well drilling rigs, two pump rigs, and other ancillary drilling and pump equipment; and drills water and water monitoring wells of varying depths. Further, it installs and repairs water pumping systems; and distributes trillium flow technologies. Barnwell Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii.