Reviewing EastGroup Properties (NYSE:EGP) & Horizon Group Properties (OTCMKTS:HGPI)

EastGroup Properties (NYSE:EGP) and Horizon Group Properties (OTCMKTS:HGPI) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and valuation.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

92.1% of EastGroup Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of EastGroup Properties shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 15.9% of Horizon Group Properties shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares EastGroup Properties and Horizon Group Properties”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
EastGroup Properties	$625.34 million	13.78	$200.49 million	$4.84	35.95
Horizon Group Properties	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

EastGroup Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Horizon Group Properties.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for EastGroup Properties and Horizon Group Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
EastGroup Properties	0	6	8	0	2.57
Horizon Group Properties	0	0	0	0	N/A

EastGroup Properties currently has a consensus target price of $192.57, indicating a potential upside of 10.66%. Given EastGroup Properties’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe EastGroup Properties is more favorable than Horizon Group Properties.

Profitability

This table compares EastGroup Properties and Horizon Group Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
EastGroup Properties	37.16%	8.69%	4.98%
Horizon Group Properties	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

EastGroup Properties has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Horizon Group Properties has a beta of 0.13, indicating that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

EastGroup Properties beats Horizon Group Properties on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About EastGroup Properties

EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP), a member of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and Russell 1000 Indexes, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. The Company's goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location sensitive customers (primarily in the 20,000 to 100,000 square foot range). The Company's strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. The Company's portfolio, including development projects and value-add acquisitions in lease-up and under construction, currently includes approximately 59 million square feet.

About Horizon Group Properties

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Horizon Group Properties, Inc. has 12 operating factory outlet centers and one power center in 10 states totaling more than 2.6 million square feet.