SThree (STEM) Competitors

Hays (LON:HAS) and SThree (LON:STEM) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Is HAS or STEM more profitable?

SThree has a net margin of 3.33% compared to Hays' net margin of -0.07%. SThree's return on equity of 20.90% beat Hays' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hays	-0.07%	-0.84%	2.27%
SThree	3.33%	20.90%	10.67%

Does the media refer more to HAS or STEM?

In the previous week, SThree had 3 more articles in the media than Hays. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for SThree and 4 mentions for Hays. SThree's average media sentiment score of 1.55 beat Hays' score of -0.18 indicating that SThree is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hays	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
SThree	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do analysts prefer HAS or STEM?

Hays currently has a consensus price target of GBX 79, indicating a potential upside of 41.54%. SThree has a consensus price target of GBX 350, indicating a potential upside of 134.58%. Given SThree's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe SThree is more favorable than Hays.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hays	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
SThree	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Which has more risk & volatility, HAS or STEM?

Hays has a beta of 1.13, suggesting that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SThree has a beta of 0.98, suggesting that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, HAS or STEM?

SThree has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Hays. Hays is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SThree, 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
Hays	£6.61B	0.13	-£4.87M	-£0.00	-11,390.82
SThree	£1.38B	0.14	£48.77M	£0.22	684.40

Is HAS or STEM a better dividend stock?

Hays pays an annual dividend of GBX 0.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. SThree pays an annual dividend of GBX 0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hays pays out -612.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SThree pays out 65.6% 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.

Do insiders & institutionals believe in HAS or STEM?

48.3% of Hays shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.5% of SThree shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Hays shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.9% of SThree 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.

Summary

SThree beats Hays on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.