Compass Minerals International (CMP) Competitors

Materion (NYSE:MTRN) and Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in MTRN or CMP?

93.6% of Materion shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.8% of Compass Minerals International shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Materion shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Compass Minerals International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media refer more to MTRN or CMP?

In the previous week, Materion had 3 more articles in the media than Compass Minerals International. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Materion and 3 mentions for Compass Minerals International. Compass Minerals International's average media sentiment score of 0.51 beat Materion's score of 0.37 indicating that Compass Minerals International is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Materion	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Compass Minerals International	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, MTRN or CMP?

Materion has higher revenue and earnings than Compass Minerals International. Compass Minerals International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Materion, 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
Materion	$1.68B	1.06	$5.89M	$0.50	171.18
Compass Minerals International	$1.12B	0.83	-$206.10M	-$3.56	-6.30

Is MTRN or CMP more profitable?

Materion has a net margin of 0.59% compared to Compass Minerals International's net margin of -12.15%. Materion's return on equity of 12.83% beat Compass Minerals International's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Materion	0.59%	12.83%	6.49%
Compass Minerals International	-12.15%	-24.24%	-4.36%

Which has more volatility and risk, MTRN or CMP?

Materion has a beta of 0.8, indicating that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Compass Minerals International has a beta of 1.11, indicating that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend MTRN or CMP?

Compass Minerals International has a consensus price target of $19.00, indicating a potential downside of 15.25%. Given Compass Minerals International's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Compass Minerals International is more favorable than Materion.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Materion	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Compass Minerals International	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Summary

Materion beats Compass Minerals International on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.