HP (HPQ) Competitors

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and HP (NYSE:HPQ) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, earnings, dividends, media sentiment and profitability.

Which has more volatility and risk, AAPL or HPQ?

Apple has a beta of 1.2, suggesting that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, HP has a beta of 1.27, suggesting that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media prefer AAPL or HPQ?

In the previous week, Apple had 261 more articles in the media than HP. MarketBeat recorded 277 mentions for Apple and 16 mentions for HP. Apple's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat HP's score of 0.71 indicating that Apple is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Apple	162 Very Positive mention(s)	26 Positive mention(s)	62 Neutral mention(s)	18 Negative mention(s)	7 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
HP	12 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better valuation & earnings, AAPL or HPQ?

Apple has higher revenue and earnings than HP. HP is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Apple, 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
Apple	$400.37B	7.78	$93.74B	$6.42	32.50
HP	$54.30B	0.43	$2.78B	$2.59	9.59

Do analysts prefer AAPL or HPQ?

Apple currently has a consensus target price of $235.27, suggesting a potential upside of 12.77%. HP has a consensus target price of $29.54, suggesting a potential upside of 18.97%. Given HP's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe HP is more favorable than Apple.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Apple	2 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.59
HP	1 Sell rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.07

Is AAPL or HPQ more profitable?

Apple has a net margin of 24.30% compared to HP's net margin of 4.64%. Apple's return on equity of 167.24% beat HP's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Apple	24.30%	167.24%	31.35%
HP	4.64%	-244.99%	7.97%

Is AAPL or HPQ a better dividend stock?

Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. HP pays an annual dividend of $1.15 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Apple pays out 16.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HP pays out 44.4% 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. Apple has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and HP has raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years. HP is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders & institutionals believe in AAPL or HPQ?

67.7% of Apple shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.5% of HP shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Apple shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of HP shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Apple beats HP on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.