Donaldson (DCI) Competitors

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) and Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Does the media prefer FELE or DCI?

In the previous week, Donaldson had 2 more articles in the media than Franklin Electric. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Donaldson and 12 mentions for Franklin Electric. Donaldson's average media sentiment score of 1.43 beat Franklin Electric's score of 1.34 indicating that Donaldson is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Franklin Electric	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Donaldson	12 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, FELE or DCI?

Franklin Electric has a beta of 1.08, suggesting that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Donaldson has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FELE or DCI more profitable?

Donaldson has a net margin of 9.94% compared to Franklin Electric's net margin of 8.71%. Donaldson's return on equity of 28.86% beat Franklin Electric's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Franklin Electric	8.71%	14.05%	9.47%
Donaldson	9.94%	28.86%	14.63%

Is FELE or DCI a better dividend stock?

Franklin Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Donaldson pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Franklin Electric pays out 27.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Donaldson pays out 40.3% 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 Donaldson has raised its dividend for 38 consecutive years. Donaldson is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts rate FELE or DCI?

Franklin Electric presently has a consensus target price of $107.00, indicating a potential upside of 11.74%. Donaldson has a consensus target price of $70.00, indicating a potential downside of 5.16%. Given Franklin Electric's higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Franklin Electric is more favorable than Donaldson.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Franklin Electric	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Donaldson	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

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

80.0% of Franklin Electric shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.8% of Donaldson shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Franklin Electric shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.7% of Donaldson shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, FELE or DCI?

Donaldson has higher revenue and earnings than Franklin Electric. Franklin Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Donaldson, 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	2.11	$180.31M	$3.87	24.74
Donaldson	$3.59B	2.40	$414M	$2.98	24.77

Summary

Donaldson beats Franklin Electric on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.