Koppers (KOP) Competitors

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) and Koppers (NYSE:KOP) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Does the media prefer LIN or KOP?

In the previous week, Linde had 43 more articles in the media than Koppers. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for Linde and 0 mentions for Koppers. Linde's average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat Koppers' score of 1.00 indicating that Linde is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Linde	Positive
Koppers	Positive

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in LIN or KOP?

82.8% of Linde shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.8% of Koppers shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Linde shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Koppers shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is LIN or KOP a better dividend stock?

Linde pays an annual dividend of $6.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Koppers pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Linde pays out 43.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Koppers pays out 27.6% 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. Linde has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Koppers has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Linde is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has higher valuation and earnings, LIN or KOP?

Linde has higher revenue and earnings than Koppers. Koppers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Linde, 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
Linde	$33.01B	6.69	$6.57B	$13.77	34.05
Koppers	$2.09B	0.33	$52.40M	$1.16	29.30

Which has more volatility and risk, LIN or KOP?

Linde has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Koppers has a beta of 1.49, indicating that its share price is 49% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate LIN or KOP?

Linde currently has a consensus target price of $518.80, indicating a potential upside of 10.66%. Koppers has a consensus target price of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 88.32%. Given Koppers' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Koppers is more favorable than Linde.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Linde	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Koppers	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.50

Is LIN or KOP more profitable?

Linde has a net margin of 20.02% compared to Koppers' net margin of 1.24%. Linde's return on equity of 18.95% beat Koppers' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Linde	20.02%	18.95%	9.26%
Koppers	1.24%	17.41%	4.60%

Summary

Linde beats Koppers on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.