Element Solutions (ESI) Competitors

Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS) and Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) are related mid-cap companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, media sentiment, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Do analysts rate LFUS or ESI?

Littelfuse currently has a consensus target price of $252.25, indicating a potential upside of 6.27%. Element Solutions has a consensus target price of $26.25, indicating a potential upside of 6.06%. Given Littelfuse's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Littelfuse is more favorable than Element Solutions.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Littelfuse	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
Element Solutions	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Is LFUS or ESI more profitable?

Element Solutions has a net margin of 11.56% compared to Littelfuse's net margin of 4.89%. Element Solutions' return on equity of 14.42% beat Littelfuse's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Littelfuse	4.89%	9.00%	5.65%
Element Solutions	11.56%	14.42%	7.14%

Does the media refer more to LFUS or ESI?

In the previous week, Element Solutions had 15 more articles in the media than Littelfuse. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for Element Solutions and 6 mentions for Littelfuse. Element Solutions' average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Littelfuse's score of 1.10 indicating that Element Solutions is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Littelfuse	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Element Solutions	10 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of LFUS or ESI?

96.1% of Littelfuse shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.3% of Element Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.5% of Littelfuse shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Element Solutions shares are owned 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.

Which has better earnings and valuation, LFUS or ESI?

Element Solutions has higher revenue and earnings than Littelfuse. Element Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Littelfuse, 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
Littelfuse	$2.19B	2.68	$100.19M	$4.32	54.94
Element Solutions	$2.48B	2.42	$244.20M	$1.19	20.80

Is LFUS or ESI a better dividend stock?

Littelfuse pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Element Solutions pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Littelfuse pays out 64.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Element Solutions pays out 26.9% 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. Littelfuse has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years. Element Solutions is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, LFUS or ESI?

Littelfuse has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its stock price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Element Solutions has a beta of 1.23, meaning that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Element Solutions beats Littelfuse on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.