LATAM Airlines Group (LTM) Competitors

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) and LATAM Airlines Group (NYSE:LTM) are both large-cap transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations and risk.

Does the media favor MPLX or LTM?

In the previous week, Mplx had 11 more articles in the media than LATAM Airlines Group. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Mplx and 4 mentions for LATAM Airlines Group. Mplx's average media sentiment score of 1.33 beat LATAM Airlines Group's score of 0.90 indicating that Mplx is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mplx	12 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
LATAM Airlines Group	2 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer MPLX or LTM?

Mplx presently has a consensus price target of $56.11, suggesting a potential upside of 10.71%. LATAM Airlines Group has a consensus price target of $39.00, suggesting a potential downside of 18.80%. Given Mplx's higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Mplx is more favorable than LATAM Airlines Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mplx	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
LATAM Airlines Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.33

Which has higher valuation and earnings, MPLX or LTM?

Mplx has higher earnings, but lower revenue than LATAM Airlines Group. Mplx is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than LATAM Airlines Group, 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
Mplx	$11.93B	4.33	$4.32B	$4.21	12.04
LATAM Airlines Group	$12.83B	1.13	$976.97M	$3.89	12.35

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MPLX or LTM?

24.3% of Mplx shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.8% of LATAM Airlines Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is MPLX or LTM more profitable?

Mplx has a net margin of 35.44% compared to LATAM Airlines Group's net margin of 8.79%. LATAM Airlines Group's return on equity of 143.14% beat Mplx's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mplx	35.44%	30.95%	11.28%
LATAM Airlines Group	8.79%	143.14%	7.44%

Which has more risk and volatility, MPLX or LTM?

Mplx has a beta of 0.73, indicating that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, LATAM Airlines Group has a beta of 3.58, indicating that its stock price is 258% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is MPLX or LTM a better dividend stock?

Mplx pays an annual dividend of $3.83 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. LATAM Airlines Group pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Mplx pays out 91.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. LATAM Airlines Group pays out 16.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Mplx has raised its dividend for 9 consecutive years. Mplx is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Mplx beats LATAM Airlines Group on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.