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Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL) Competitors

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust logo
GBX 1,752 +14.00 (+0.81%)
As of 08/14/2026 12:36 PM Eastern
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ASL vs. HL, ABDN, ATST, 3IN, and RCP

Should you buy Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust stock or one of its competitors? Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's main competitors and comparable companies include Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), abrdn (ABDN), Alliance Trust (ATST), 3i Infrastructure (3IN), and RIT Capital Partners (RCP). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "asset management & custody banks" industry.

How does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust compare to Hargreaves Lansdown?

Hargreaves Lansdown (LON:HL) and Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (LON:ASL) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

In the previous week, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust had 1 more articles in the media than Hargreaves Lansdown. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust and 0 mentions for Hargreaves Lansdown. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Hargreaves Lansdown's score of 0.00 indicating that Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Hargreaves Lansdown Neutral
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Positive

66.7% of Hargreaves Lansdown shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 29.4% of Hargreaves Lansdown shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Hargreaves Lansdown pays an annual dividend of GBX 43 per share. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 46.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Hargreaves Lansdown pays out 6,935.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays out 40.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Hargreaves Lansdown has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its share price is 34% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a beta of 1.4412928, suggesting that its share price is 44% more volatile than the broader market.

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a net margin of 63.47% compared to Hargreaves Lansdown's net margin of 38.33%. Hargreaves Lansdown's return on equity of 38.46% beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Hargreaves Lansdown38.33% 38.46% 17.10%
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust 63.47%6.52%11.67%

Hargreaves Lansdown has higher revenue and earnings than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. Hargreaves Lansdown is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Hargreaves Lansdown£764.90M0.00£293.20M£0.62N/A
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust£94.68M14.27£255.01M£115.7815.13

Summary

Hargreaves Lansdown and Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust tied by winning 7 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust compare to abrdn?

abrdn (LON:ABDN) and Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (LON:ASL) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, risk, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

42.1% of abrdn shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of abrdn shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a net margin of 63.47% compared to abrdn's net margin of 23.28%. abrdn's return on equity of 7.70% beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
abrdn23.28% 7.70% 0.68%
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust 63.47%6.52%11.67%

abrdn has higher revenue and earnings than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. abrdn is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
abrdn£1.71B2.57£316.36M£20.9011.74
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust£94.68M14.27£255.01M£115.7815.13

abrdn currently has a consensus target price of GBX 226.50, suggesting a potential downside of 7.70%. Given abrdn's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe abrdn is more favorable than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
abrdn
1 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.17
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00

abrdn has a beta of 1.398, meaning that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a beta of 1.4412928, meaning that its stock price is 44% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, abrdn and abrdn both had 1 articles in the media. abrdn's average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's score of 1.13 indicating that abrdn is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
abrdn
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

abrdn pays an annual dividend of GBX 14.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 46.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. abrdn pays out 69.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays out 40.4% 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.

Summary

abrdn beats Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust compare to Alliance Trust?

Alliance Trust (LON:ATST) and Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (LON:ASL) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Alliance Trust has higher revenue and earnings than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. Alliance Trust is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Alliance Trust£652.76M0.00£601.66M£2.12N/A
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust£94.68M14.27£255.01M£115.7815.13

Alliance Trust has a net margin of 92.17% compared to Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's net margin of 63.47%. Alliance Trust's return on equity of 17.93% beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Alliance Trust92.17% 17.93% 10.95%
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust 63.47%6.52%11.67%

Alliance Trust has a beta of 0.65, indicating that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a beta of 1.4412928, indicating that its stock price is 44% more volatile than the broader market.

6.9% of Alliance Trust shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Alliance Trust shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held 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.

In the previous week, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust had 1 more articles in the media than Alliance Trust. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust and 0 mentions for Alliance Trust. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Alliance Trust's score of 0.00 indicating that Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Alliance Trust Neutral
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Positive

Alliance Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 26 per share. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 46.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Alliance Trust pays out 1,226.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays out 40.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust beats Alliance Trust on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust compare to 3i Infrastructure?

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (LON:ASL) and 3i Infrastructure (LON:3IN) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, dividends, earnings, media sentiment and valuation.

3i Infrastructure has a net margin of 92.78% compared to Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's net margin of 63.47%. 3i Infrastructure's return on equity of 10.77% beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust63.47% 6.52% 11.67%
3i Infrastructure 92.78%10.77%4.83%

3i Infrastructure has a consensus target price of GBX 450, suggesting a potential upside of 17.49%. Given 3i Infrastructure's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe 3i Infrastructure is more favorable than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00
3i Infrastructure
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

In the previous week, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust had 1 more articles in the media than 3i Infrastructure. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust and 0 mentions for 3i Infrastructure. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat 3i Infrastructure's score of 0.00 indicating that Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Positive
3i Infrastructure Neutral

3i Infrastructure has higher revenue and earnings than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. 3i Infrastructure is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust£94.68M14.27£255.01M£115.7815.13
3i Infrastructure£301M11.74£347M£32.0011.97

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 46.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. 3i Infrastructure pays an annual dividend of GBX 13.05 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays out 40.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. 3i Infrastructure pays out 40.8% 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.

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a beta of 1.4412928, indicating that its share price is 44% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, 3i Infrastructure has a beta of 0.5, indicating that its share price is 50% less volatile than the broader market.

13.1% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.2% of 3i Infrastructure shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of 3i Infrastructure shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust and 3i Infrastructure tied by winning 9 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust compare to RIT Capital Partners?

RIT Capital Partners (LON:RCP) and Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (LON:ASL) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, institutional ownership and risk.

8.4% of RIT Capital Partners shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 21.9% of RIT Capital Partners shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has lower revenue, but higher earnings than RIT Capital Partners. RIT Capital Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
RIT Capital Partners£730.20M4.45£167.81M£327.008.03
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust£94.68M14.27£255.01M£115.7815.13

RIT Capital Partners has a beta of 0.7545988, suggesting that its share price is 25% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust has a beta of 1.4412928, suggesting that its share price is 44% more volatile than the broader market.

RIT Capital Partners pays an annual dividend of GBX 43 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 46.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. RIT Capital Partners pays out 13.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust pays out 40.4% 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.

RIT Capital Partners has a net margin of 2,025.88% compared to Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's net margin of 63.47%. RIT Capital Partners' return on equity of 16.54% beat Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
RIT Capital Partners2,025.88% 16.54% 4.22%
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust 63.47%6.52%11.67%

In the previous week, RIT Capital Partners had 2 more articles in the media than Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for RIT Capital Partners and 1 mentions for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat RIT Capital Partners' score of 0.15 indicating that Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
RIT Capital Partners
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust beats RIT Capital Partners on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding ASL and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of LON and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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ASL vs. The Competition

Export
MetricAberforth Smaller Companies TrustCapital Markets IndustryFinance SectorLON Exchange
Market Cap£1.35B£5.74B£14.16B£2.88B
Dividend Yield2.76%7.38%5.87%6.11%
P/E Ratio15.1338.1229.34368.68
Price / Sales14.271,226.74514.3183,339.32
Price / Cash1,306.0048.3337.4927.89
Price / Book1.063.693.717.18
Net Income£255.01M£417.15M£1.31B£5.89B
7 Day Performance1.15%0.60%0.77%0.91%
1 Month Performance0.99%0.76%1.56%2.94%
1 Year Performance14.51%7.79%12.52%64.32%

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Competitors List

Export
CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ASL
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
N/AGBX 1,752
+0.8%		N/A+13.5%£1.35B£94.68M15.13N/A
HL
Hargreaves Lansdown
N/AN/AN/AN/A£5.26B£764.90M1,787.901,850
ABDN
abrdn
2.4773 of 5 stars		GBX 242.21
+0.7%		GBX 226.50
-6.5%		+25.7%£4.33B£1.71B11.424,719
ATST
Alliance Trust
N/AN/AN/AN/A£3.58B£652.76M600.003
3IN
3i Infrastructure
N/AGBX 385.01
+1.3%		GBX 450
+16.9%		+9.1%£3.55B£301M12.03N/A

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This page (LON:ASL) was last updated on 8/15/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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