Critical Survey: China Gas (OTCMKTS:CGHLY) vs. Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH)

Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH) and China Gas (OTCMKTS:CGHLY) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Suburban Propane Partners and China Gas, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Suburban Propane Partners	0	1	0	2	3.33
China Gas	0	0	0	0	0.00

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Suburban Propane Partners and China Gas”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Suburban Propane Partners	$1.43 billion	0.82	$106.57 million	$1.96	9.00
China Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Suburban Propane Partners has higher revenue and earnings than China Gas.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

30.9% of Suburban Propane Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Suburban Propane Partners shares are owned by company 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.

Profitability

This table compares Suburban Propane Partners and China Gas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Suburban Propane Partners	9.37%	18.57%	5.25%
China Gas	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Suburban Propane Partners beats China Gas on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Suburban Propane Partners

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail marketing and distribution of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil, and refined fuels in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Propane, Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels, Natural Gas and Electricity, and All Other. The Propane segment is involved in the retail distribution of propane for space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying for use as a motor fuel in internal combustion engines to power over-the-road vehicles, forklifts, and stationary engines, as well as to fire furnaces as a cutting gas to the industrial customers; and for tobacco curing, crop drying, poultry brooding, and weed control in the agricultural markets. It also engages in the wholesale distribution of propane to industrial end users. Its Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels segment engages in the retail distribution of fuel oil, diesel, kerosene, and gasoline to residential and commercial customers for use in primarily as a source of heat in homes and buildings. The Natural Gas and Electricity segment markets natural gas and electricity to residential and commercial customers in the deregulated energy markets in New York and Pennsylvania. The All Other segment sells, installs, and services a range of home comfort equipment, including whole-house heating products, air cleaners, humidifiers, and space heaters. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers primarily in the east and west coast regions of the United States, as well as portions of the Midwest region of the United States and Alaska. Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. was founded in 1945 and is based in Whippany, New Jersey.

About China Gas

China Gas Holdings Limited operates as a gas operator and service provider in the People's Republic of China. The company invests in, constructs, operates, and maintains city and town gas pipelines, gas terminals, storage and transportation facilities, and gas logistics systems; transmits natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to residential, industrial, and commercial users; constructs and operates compressed natural gas/liquefied natural gas refilling stations; and develops technologies related to natural gas and LPG. It is also involved in the investment in petrochemical facilities of storage and transportation; producing, storing, and selling of LPG and chemical products, as well as propane and butane; CBM business; exploration and production of coal bed methane; and gas station administration services. In addition, the company offers treasury, management, consultancy, and procurement services; and engages in wholesale and retail of household equipment, electric appliances, kitchen appliances, and others. Further, it is involved in the development and investment in clean energy; wholesale and trading of natural gas and liquefied natural gas; and sale of electricity, as well as develops, produces, and sells gas meters, and other utility systems. Additionally, the company offers gas stoves, water heater, and wall-mounting heaters; safety products, such as pipes, valves, and alarms; food staples, and cooking ingredients. Furthermore, the company engages in the wholesale, retail, installs, and maintains of household equipment, electric appliances, and kitchen appliances, as well as involved in investment holding and distributes heating services. China Gas Holdings Limited was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.