Franklin Electric (FELE) Competitors

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) and Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, media sentiment, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

Does the media favor FELE or NDSN?

In the previous week, Nordson had 2 more articles in the media than Franklin Electric. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Nordson and 5 mentions for Franklin Electric. Franklin Electric's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat Nordson's score of 1.13 indicating that Franklin Electric is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Franklin Electric	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Nordson	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, FELE or NDSN?

Franklin Electric has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its stock price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Nordson has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FELE or NDSN a better dividend stock?

Franklin Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Nordson pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Franklin Electric pays out 27.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Nordson pays out 41.2% 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. Franklin Electric has raised its dividend for 33 consecutive years and Nordson has raised its dividend for 62 consecutive years. Nordson is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts prefer FELE or NDSN?

Franklin Electric currently has a consensus price target of $107.00, indicating a potential upside of 14.82%. Nordson has a consensus price target of $255.75, indicating a potential upside of 9.41%. Given Franklin Electric's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Franklin Electric is more favorable than Nordson.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Franklin Electric	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Nordson	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is FELE or NDSN more profitable?

Nordson has a net margin of 16.34% compared to Franklin Electric's net margin of 8.71%. Nordson's return on equity of 19.45% beat Franklin Electric's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Franklin Electric	8.71%	14.05%	9.47%
Nordson	16.34%	19.45%	9.55%

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, FELE or NDSN?

Nordson has higher revenue and earnings than Franklin Electric. Franklin Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nordson, 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
Franklin Electric	$2.02B	2.05	$180.31M	$3.87	24.08
Nordson	$2.69B	4.88	$467.28M	$7.96	29.37

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in FELE or NDSN?

80.0% of Franklin Electric shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.1% of Nordson shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Franklin Electric shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Nordson shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Nordson beats Franklin Electric on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.