Waterdrop (NYSE:WDH) & Ageas (OTCMKTS:AGESY) Critical Survey

Ageas (OTCMKTS:AGESY) and Waterdrop (NYSE:WDH) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and valuation.

Dividends

Ageas pays an annual dividend of $2.81 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Waterdrop pays an annual dividend of $0.05 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Waterdrop pays out 26.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Ageas and Waterdrop’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ageas	N/A	N/A	N/A
Waterdrop	15.58%	9.99%	7.57%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ageas and Waterdrop”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ageas	$14.68 billion	0.97	$1.21 billion	N/A	N/A
Waterdrop	$379.74 million	1.69	$50.35 million	$0.19	9.34

Ageas has higher revenue and earnings than Waterdrop.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

2.0% of Waterdrop shares are owned by institutional investors. 24.6% of Waterdrop shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Ageas and Waterdrop, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ageas	0	1	1	0	2.50
Waterdrop	0	2	0	0	2.00

Waterdrop has a consensus target price of $2.00, suggesting a potential upside of 12.68%. Given Waterdrop’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Waterdrop is more favorable than Ageas.

Volatility & Risk

Ageas has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its stock price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Waterdrop has a beta of -0.26, suggesting that its stock price is 126% less volatile than the S&P 500.

About Ageas

ageas SA/NV, together with its subsidiaries, engages in insurance business. It operates in five segments: Belgium, Europe, Asia, Reinsurance, and General Account. The company offers property, casualty, and life insurance products, as well as pension products; and reinsurance products. It provides life insurance products include risks related to the life and death of individuals; and non-life insurance products comprise accident and health, motor, fire, and other property insurance products, as well as insurance services for other damages to property. The company serves private individuals, as well as small, medium-sized, and large companies through independent brokers and the bank channels. ageas SA/NV was founded in 1824 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

About Waterdrop

Waterdrop Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides online insurance brokerage services to match and connect users with related insurance products underwritten by insurance companies in the People's Republic of China. The company offers short-term health and long-term health and life insurance products and services. It also operates a medical crowdfunding platform. Waterdrop Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.