Victrex (VCT) Competitors

Victrex (LON:VCT) and Elementis (LON:ELM) 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 earnings, risk, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

Is VCT or ELM more profitable?

Victrex has a net margin of 10.81% compared to Elementis' net margin of -4.74%. Victrex's return on equity of 6.67% beat Elementis' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Victrex	10.81%	6.67%	6.59%
Elementis	-4.74%	-4.25%	4.49%

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, VCT or ELM?

Victrex has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Elementis. Elementis is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Victrex, 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
Victrex	£285.02M	2.22	£30.80M	£35.20	20.58
Elementis	£919.45M	1.34	-£43.57M	-£4.71	-35.43

Do analysts rate VCT or ELM?

Victrex presently has a consensus price target of GBX 946, indicating a potential upside of 30.59%. Elementis has a consensus price target of GBX 170, indicating a potential upside of 1.80%. Given Victrex's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Victrex is more favorable than Elementis.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Victrex	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Elementis	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the media favor VCT or ELM?

In the previous week, Victrex had 18 more articles in the media than Elementis. MarketBeat recorded 19 mentions for Victrex and 1 mentions for Elementis. Elementis' average media sentiment score of 0.29 beat Victrex's score of 0.22 indicating that Elementis is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Victrex	3 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Elementis	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility & risk, VCT or ELM?

Victrex has a beta of 0.69, indicating that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Elementis has a beta of 2.02, indicating that its stock price is 102% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is VCT or ELM a better dividend stock?

Victrex pays an annual dividend of GBX 60 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.3%. Elementis pays an annual dividend of GBX 3 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Victrex pays out 170.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Elementis pays out -63.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in VCT or ELM?

97.1% of Victrex shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.7% of Elementis shares are held by institutional investors. 1.6% of Victrex shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.2% of Elementis shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Victrex beats Elementis on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.