Hunting (HTG) Competitors

Ashtead Technology (LON:AT) and Hunting (LON:HTG) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in AT or HTG?

75.9% of Ashtead Technology shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.4% of Hunting shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Ashtead Technology shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of Hunting shares are held 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.

Does the media prefer AT or HTG?

In the previous week, Hunting had 8 more articles in the media than Ashtead Technology. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Hunting and 1 mentions for Ashtead Technology. Ashtead Technology's average media sentiment score of 1.19 beat Hunting's score of 0.50 indicating that Ashtead Technology is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ashtead Technology	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Hunting	3 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is AT or HTG more profitable?

Ashtead Technology has a net margin of 17.37% compared to Hunting's net margin of 13.47%. Ashtead Technology's return on equity of 23.56% beat Hunting's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ashtead Technology	17.37%	23.56%	13.14%
Hunting	13.47%	13.25%	4.21%

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, AT or HTG?

Hunting has higher revenue and earnings than Ashtead Technology. Hunting is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ashtead Technology, 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
Ashtead Technology	£139.68M	1.92	£24.26M	£30.98	10.91
Hunting	£1.08B	0.50	£154.42M	-£21.20	-16.58

Which has more volatility & risk, AT or HTG?

Ashtead Technology has a beta of 0.28, indicating that its stock price is 72% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hunting has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AT or HTG a better dividend stock?

Ashtead Technology pays an annual dividend of GBX 1 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Hunting pays an annual dividend of GBX 11.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Ashtead Technology pays out 3.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Hunting pays out -55.0% 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. Hunting is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts recommend AT or HTG?

Ashtead Technology currently has a consensus target price of GBX 646.25, indicating a potential upside of 91.20%. Hunting has a consensus target price of GBX 498, indicating a potential upside of 41.68%. Given Ashtead Technology's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Ashtead Technology is more favorable than Hunting.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ashtead Technology	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Hunting	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Ashtead Technology beats Hunting on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.