The Alumasc Group (ALU) Competitors

The Alumasc Group (LON:ALU) and Norcros (LON:NXR) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings and dividends.

Is ALU or NXR more profitable?

The Alumasc Group has a net margin of 8.69% compared to Norcros' net margin of 6.83%. The Alumasc Group's return on equity of 29.24% beat Norcros' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
The Alumasc Group	8.69%	29.24%	11.16%
Norcros	6.83%	12.35%	6.15%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, ALU or NXR?

Norcros has higher revenue and earnings than The Alumasc Group. Norcros is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than The Alumasc Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
The Alumasc Group	£99.64M	1.22	£8.65M	£24.47	13.99
Norcros	£392.22M	0.62	£26.81M	£30.11	9.10

Which has more volatility & risk, ALU or NXR?

The Alumasc Group has a beta of 0.9, indicating that its stock price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Norcros has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its stock price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer ALU or NXR?

Norcros has a consensus price target of GBX 362.50, suggesting a potential upside of 32.30%. Given Norcros' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Norcros is more favorable than The Alumasc Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
The Alumasc Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Norcros	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of ALU or NXR?

27.8% of The Alumasc Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.2% of Norcros shares are owned by institutional investors. 47.2% of The Alumasc Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.0% of Norcros shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is ALU or NXR a better dividend stock?

The Alumasc Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 11 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Norcros pays an annual dividend of GBX 10 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. The Alumasc Group pays out 44.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Norcros pays out 33.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Norcros is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Does the media prefer ALU or NXR?

In the previous week, The Alumasc Group and The Alumasc Group both had 1 articles in the media. The Alumasc Group's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Norcros' score of 0.87 indicating that The Alumasc Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
The Alumasc Group	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Norcros	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Norcros beats The Alumasc Group on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.