Head-To-Head Review: Environmental Service Professional (OTCMKTS:EVSP) versus Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) and Environmental Service Professional (OTCMKTS:EVSP) are both business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Willdan Group and Environmental Service Professional, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Willdan Group	0	1	3	0	2.75
Environmental Service Professional	0	0	0	0	0.00

Willdan Group currently has a consensus price target of $111.50, suggesting a potential upside of 19.78%. Given Willdan Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Willdan Group is more favorable than Environmental Service Professional.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Willdan Group and Environmental Service Professional”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Willdan Group	$651.93 million	2.09	$22.57 million	$2.78	33.49
Environmental Service Professional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Willdan Group has higher revenue and earnings than Environmental Service Professional.

Profitability

This table compares Willdan Group and Environmental Service Professional’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Willdan Group	5.60%	18.60%	9.65%
Environmental Service Professional	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

72.3% of Willdan Group shares are held by institutional investors. 8.6% of Willdan Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Willdan Group beats Environmental Service Professional on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Willdan Group

Willdan Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides professional, technical, and consulting services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Energy, and Engineering and Consulting. The Energy segment offers comprehensive audit and surveys, program design and implementation, master planning, demand reduction, grid optimization, benchmarking analyses, design engineering, construction management, performance contracting, installation, alternative financing, measurement and verification services, and software and data analytics, as well as energy consulting and engineering, turnkey facility and infrastructure projects, and customer support services. The Engineering and Consulting segment provides building and safety, city engineering and code enforcement, development plan review and inspection, disaster recovery, geotechnical and earthquake engineering, planning and surveying, contract staff support, program and construction management, structural engineering, transportation and traffic engineering, and water resources services. This segment also offers district administration, financial consulting, and federal compliance services. It serves public and governmental agencies, including cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, water districts, school districts, and universities; investor and municipal owned energy utilities; state and federal agencies; and commercial and industrial firms, as well as various other special districts and agencies. The company was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Anaheim, California.

About Environmental Service Professional

Environmental Service Professionals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides environmental consulting services for addressing mold and moisture intrusion and the associated acute or chronic issues that impact the interior air quality of commercial and residential buildings. The company offers Certified Environmental Home Inspector (CEHI) program, a training, certification, inspection, and results reporting analysis program that provides moisture and toxin inspection, as well as energy use awareness to residential and commercial clients. It also provides cross-training on CEHI programs for insurance companies, underwriters, and loss control and risk management personnel. Environmental Service Professionals, Inc. was formerly known as Pacific Environmental Sampling, Inc. and changed its name to Environmental Service Professionals, Inc. in October 2006. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is based in Palm Springs, California.