Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) (NYSE:EDN) vs. Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) Head-To-Head Survey

Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) (NYSE:EDN) and Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) are both small-cap utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ballard Power Systems has a beta of 1.94, meaning that its share price is 94% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) and Ballard Power Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor)	10.25%	13.79%	5.51%
Ballard Power Systems	-78.60%	-13.48%	-11.64%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

1.6% of Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 28.0% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by company 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) and Ballard Power Systems, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor)	0	3	0	0	2.00
Ballard Power Systems	3	11	1	0	1.87

Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) presently has a consensus price target of $36.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.65%. Ballard Power Systems has a consensus price target of $3.59, suggesting a potential downside of 42.97%. Given Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor)’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) is more favorable than Ballard Power Systems.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) and Ballard Power Systems”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor)	$2.44 billion	0.51	$191.39 million	$5.40	5.10
Ballard Power Systems	$99.40 million	19.08	-$90.91 million	($0.27)	-23.30

Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) has higher revenue and earnings than Ballard Power Systems. Ballard Power Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor), indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor) beats Ballard Power Systems on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (Edenor)

Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte Sociedad Anónima is involved in the distribution and sale of electricity in Argentina. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte Sociedad Anónima operates as a subsidiary of Empresa de Energía del Cono Sur S.A..

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.