The Sage Group (SGE) Competitors

Haleon (LON:HLN) and The Sage Group (LON:SGE) are both large-cap consumer goods companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment and dividends.

Is HLN or SGE a better dividend stock?

Haleon pays an annual dividend of GBX 0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.0%. The Sage Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.0%. Haleon pays out 39.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. The Sage Group pays out 59.5% 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. Haleon is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Is HLN or SGE more profitable?

The Sage Group has a net margin of 11.87% compared to Haleon's net margin of 9.66%. The Sage Group's return on equity of 24.48% beat Haleon's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Haleon	9.66%	6.54%	4.45%
The Sage Group	11.87%	24.48%	7.58%

Which has more risk and volatility, HLN or SGE?

Haleon has a beta of 0.19, suggesting that its share price is 81% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, The Sage Group has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of HLN or SGE?

25.5% of Haleon shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.2% of The Sage Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Haleon shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of The Sage Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has higher valuation and earnings, HLN or SGE?

Haleon has higher revenue and earnings than The Sage Group. Haleon is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than The Sage 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
Haleon	£11.02B	2.67	£1.07B	£0.17	1,977.84
The Sage Group	£2.42B	4.36	£254.60M	£0.34	3,214.92

Do analysts prefer HLN or SGE?

Haleon currently has a consensus price target of GBX 436.67, indicating a potential upside of 32.20%. The Sage Group has a consensus price target of GBX 3,500, indicating a potential upside of 216.66%. Given The Sage Group's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe The Sage Group is more favorable than Haleon.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Haleon	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
The Sage Group	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.14

Does the media favor HLN or SGE?

In the previous week, The Sage Group had 1 more articles in the media than Haleon. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for The Sage Group and 1 mentions for Haleon. Haleon's average media sentiment score of 1.11 beat The Sage Group's score of 0.00 indicating that Haleon is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Haleon	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
The Sage Group	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Summary

The Sage Group beats Haleon on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.