Argan (AGX) Competitors

KBR (NYSE:KBR) and Argan (NYSE:AGX) are both mid-cap construction companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, community ranking and earnings.

Does the media prefer KBR or AGX?

In the previous week, KBR had 15 more articles in the media than Argan. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for KBR and 9 mentions for Argan. Argan's average media sentiment score of 1.56 beat KBR's score of 1.12 indicating that Argan is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
KBR	18 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Argan	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, KBR or AGX?

KBR has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Argan has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher earnings & valuation, KBR or AGX?

Argan has lower revenue, but higher earnings than KBR. KBR is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Argan, 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
KBR	$7.98B	0.83	-$265M	$2.99	17.11
Argan	$874.18M	3.17	$32.36M	$6.11	33.24

Is KBR or AGX a better dividend stock?

KBR pays an annual dividend of $0.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Argan pays an annual dividend of $1.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. KBR pays out 22.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Argan pays out 24.5% 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. KBR has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Argan has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. KBR is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is KBR or AGX more profitable?

Argan has a net margin of 8.20% compared to KBR's net margin of 4.35%. KBR's return on equity of 28.87% beat Argan's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
KBR	4.35%	28.87%	6.98%
Argan	8.20%	21.66%	9.73%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of KBR or AGX?

97.0% of KBR shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.4% of Argan shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of KBR shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of Argan shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor KBR or AGX?

KBR received 249 more outperform votes than Argan when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 69.06% of users gave Argan an outperform vote while only 67.06% of users gave KBR an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
KBR	Outperform Votes 566 67.06%	Underperform Votes 278 32.94%
Argan	Outperform Votes 317 69.06%	Underperform Votes 142 30.94%

Do analysts recommend KBR or AGX?

KBR presently has a consensus target price of $68.86, indicating a potential upside of 34.57%. Argan has a consensus target price of $150.00, indicating a potential downside of 26.15%. Given KBR's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe KBR is more favorable than Argan.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
KBR	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
Argan	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

KBR beats Argan on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.