Steppe Cement (STCM) Competitors

Steppe Cement (LON:STCM) and Michelmersh Brick (LON:MBH) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Does the media prefer STCM or MBH?

In the previous week, Michelmersh Brick had 4 more articles in the media than Steppe Cement. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Michelmersh Brick and 0 mentions for Steppe Cement. Steppe Cement's average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat Michelmersh Brick's score of 0.59 indicating that Steppe Cement is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Steppe Cement	Positive
Michelmersh Brick	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in STCM or MBH?

17.8% of Steppe Cement shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.1% of Michelmersh Brick shares are held by institutional investors. 57.2% of Steppe Cement shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 39.2% of Michelmersh Brick shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, STCM or MBH?

Michelmersh Brick has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Steppe Cement. Michelmersh Brick is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Steppe Cement, 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
Steppe Cement	£99.20M	0.49	£1.21M	£0.35	50.39
Michelmersh Brick	£70.21M	1.35	£8.05M	£8.79	11.71

Is STCM or MBH more profitable?

Michelmersh Brick has a net margin of 11.46% compared to Steppe Cement's net margin of 1.22%. Michelmersh Brick's return on equity of 8.82% beat Steppe Cement's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Steppe Cement	1.22%	1.48%	-0.22%
Michelmersh Brick	11.46%	8.82%	5.16%

Is STCM or MBH a better dividend stock?

Steppe Cement pays an annual dividend of GBX 2 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.2%. Michelmersh Brick pays an annual dividend of GBX 5 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.9%. Steppe Cement pays out 565.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Michelmersh Brick pays out 56.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Which has more volatility & risk, STCM or MBH?

Steppe Cement has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Michelmersh Brick has a beta of 1.01, suggesting that its stock price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate STCM or MBH?

Michelmersh Brick has a consensus target price of GBX 166.67, indicating a potential upside of 61.81%. Given Michelmersh Brick's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Michelmersh Brick is more favorable than Steppe Cement.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Steppe Cement	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Michelmersh Brick	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Michelmersh Brick beats Steppe Cement on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.