Smith & Nephew (SN) Competitors

Haleon (LON:HLN) and Smith & Nephew (LON:SN) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, risk, earnings and valuation.

Do analysts rate HLN or SN?

Haleon presently has a consensus price target of GBX 435, indicating a potential upside of 21.54%. Smith & Nephew has a consensus price target of GBX 1,379.33, indicating a potential upside of 1.95%. Given Haleon's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Haleon is more favorable than Smith & Nephew.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Haleon	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Smith & Nephew	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Does the media refer more to HLN or SN?

In the previous week, Smith & Nephew had 2 more articles in the media than Haleon. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Smith & Nephew and 4 mentions for Haleon. Smith & Nephew's average media sentiment score of 0.59 beat Haleon's score of -0.17 indicating that Smith & Nephew is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Haleon	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Smith & Nephew	1 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is HLN or SN a better dividend stock?

Haleon pays an annual dividend of GBX 6 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Smith & Nephew pays an annual dividend of GBX 29 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Haleon pays out 50.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Smith & Nephew pays out 104.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

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

43.9% of Haleon shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.2% of Smith & Nephew shares are held by institutional investors. 10.7% of Haleon shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Smith & Nephew shares are held by 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 risk & volatility, HLN or SN?

Haleon has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its stock price is 81% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Smith & Nephew has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is HLN or SN more profitable?

Haleon has a net margin of 9.66% compared to Smith & Nephew's net margin of 5.41%. Haleon's return on equity of 6.54% beat Smith & Nephew's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Haleon	9.66%	6.54%	4.45%
Smith & Nephew	5.41%	5.85%	4.51%

Which has higher valuation and earnings, HLN or SN?

Haleon has higher revenue and earnings than Smith & Nephew. Haleon is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Smith & Nephew, 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	£11.07B	2.92	£1.07B	£11.89	30.10
Smith & Nephew	£7.08B	2.09	£382.79M	£27.77	48.71

Summary

Smith & Nephew beats Haleon on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.