Plus500 (PLUS) Competitors

The Mercantile Investment Trust (LON:MRC) and Plus500 (LON:PLUS) are both financial services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MRC or PLUS?

48.8% of The Mercantile Investment Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.2% of Plus500 shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.7% of The Mercantile Investment Trust shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of Plus500 shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, MRC or PLUS?

The Mercantile Investment Trust has a beta of 1.16, indicating that its share price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Plus500 has a beta of 0.2, indicating that its share price is 80% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is MRC or PLUS more profitable?

The Mercantile Investment Trust has a net margin of 94.67% compared to Plus500's net margin of 36.45%. Plus500's return on equity of 39.06% beat The Mercantile Investment Trust's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
The Mercantile Investment Trust	94.67%	20.56%	2.53%
Plus500	36.45%	39.06%	26.75%

Does the media prefer MRC or PLUS?

In the previous week, Plus500 had 5 more articles in the media than The Mercantile Investment Trust. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Plus500 and 0 mentions for The Mercantile Investment Trust. The Mercantile Investment Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.68 beat Plus500's score of 0.89 indicating that The Mercantile Investment Trust is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
The Mercantile Investment Trust	Very Positive
Plus500	Positive

Is MRC or PLUS a better dividend stock?

The Mercantile Investment Trust pays an annual dividend of GBX 8 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Plus500 pays an annual dividend of GBX 66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. The Mercantile Investment Trust pays out 15.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Plus500 pays out 24.4% 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. The Mercantile Investment Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts rate MRC or PLUS?

Plus500 has a consensus price target of GBX 3,304.67, suggesting a potential upside of 6.95%. Given Plus500's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Plus500 is more favorable than The Mercantile Investment Trust.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
The Mercantile Investment Trust	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Plus500	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Which has higher earnings and valuation, MRC or PLUS?

The Mercantile Investment Trust has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Plus500. The Mercantile Investment Trust is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Plus500, 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 Mercantile Investment Trust	£415.73M	4.51	£393.55M	£53.19	4.75
Plus500	£856.04M	3.33	£312.07M	£270.24	11.43

Summary

Plus500 beats The Mercantile Investment Trust on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.