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 contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.

Which has more volatility & risk, HLN or SN?

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

Does the media favor HLN or SN?

In the previous week, Haleon had 3 more articles in the media than Smith & Nephew. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Haleon and 0 mentions for Smith & Nephew. Smith & Nephew's average media sentiment score of 0.00 beat Haleon's score of -0.74 indicating that Smith & Nephew is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Haleon	Negative
Smith & Nephew	Neutral

Do institutionals & 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 company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Smith & Nephew shares are held 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.

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%

Is HLN or SN a better dividend stock?

Haleon pays an annual dividend of GBX 6 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Smith & Nephew pays an annual dividend of GBX 29 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. 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 analysts prefer HLN or SN?

Haleon currently has a consensus price target of GBX 457, suggesting a potential upside of 22.49%. Smith & Nephew has a consensus price target of GBX 7,840, suggesting a potential upside of 608.22%. Given Smith & Nephew's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Smith & Nephew is more favorable than Haleon.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Haleon	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Smith & Nephew	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, 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	3.04	£1.07B	£11.89	31.38
Smith & Nephew	£7.08B	1.71	£382.79M	£27.77	39.86

Summary

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