Head-To-Head Comparison: BRT Apartments (NYSE:BRT) and Centerspace (NYSE:CSR)
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyCenterspace (NYSE:CSR – Get Free Report) and BRT Apartments (NYSE:BRT – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings and valuation.
Dividends
Centerspace pays an annual dividend of $3.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.1%. BRT Apartments pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.0%. Centerspace pays out 308.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. BRT Apartments pays out -158.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Centerspace has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. BRT Apartments is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Profitability
This table compares Centerspace and BRT Apartments’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Centerspace | 6.25% | 2.00% | 0.86% |
| BRT Apartments | -12.31% | -6.21% | -1.69% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
79.0% of Centerspace shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 29.1% of BRT Apartments shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Centerspace shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 40.2% of BRT Apartments shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Volatility & Risk
Centerspace has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BRT Apartments has a beta of 0.91, indicating that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Centerspace and BRT Apartments”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Centerspace | $273.66 million | 3.73 | $17.59 million | $1.00 | 60.84 |
| BRT Apartments | $97.03 million | 2.80 | -$11.95 million | ($0.63) | -22.68 |
Centerspace has higher revenue and earnings than BRT Apartments. BRT Apartments is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Centerspace, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Centerspace and BRT Apartments, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Centerspace | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2.25 |
| BRT Apartments | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.33 |
Centerspace currently has a consensus price target of $69.57, indicating a potential upside of 14.35%. BRT Apartments has a consensus price target of $19.75, indicating a potential upside of 38.21%. Given BRT Apartments’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe BRT Apartments is more favorable than Centerspace.
Summary
Centerspace beats BRT Apartments on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Centerspace
Centerspace is an owner and operator of apartment communities committed to providing great homes by focusing on integrity and serving others. Founded in 1970, as of September 30, 2023, Centerspace owned interests in 71 apartment communities consisting of 12,785 apartment homes located in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Centerspace was named a Top Workplace for the fourth consecutive year in 2023 by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
About BRT Apartments
BRT Apartments Corp. is a real estate investment trust. It engages in the ownership, operation, and holding interests in joint ventures that own and operate multi-family properties. The company was founded in June 1972 and is headquartered in Great Neck, NY.