PROG (PRG) Competitors

McGrath RentCorp (NASDAQ:MGRC) and PROG (NYSE:PRG) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, community ranking, media sentiment, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and valuation.

Does the media favor MGRC or PRG?

In the previous week, McGrath RentCorp had 10 more articles in the media than PROG. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for McGrath RentCorp and 2 mentions for PROG. PROG's average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat McGrath RentCorp's score of 0.53 indicating that PROG is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
McGrath RentCorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
PROG	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, MGRC or PRG?

McGrath RentCorp has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PROG has a beta of 1.79, meaning that its stock price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in MGRC or PRG?

92.1% of McGrath RentCorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.9% of PROG shares are held by institutional investors. 1.6% of McGrath RentCorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of PROG shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, MGRC or PRG?

McGrath RentCorp has higher earnings, but lower revenue than PROG. PROG is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than McGrath RentCorp, 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
McGrath RentCorp	$918.53M	3.14	$174.62M	$9.65	12.13
PROG	$2.51B	0.48	$138.84M	$4.88	6.10

Do analysts rate MGRC or PRG?

McGrath RentCorp presently has a consensus price target of $145.50, suggesting a potential upside of 24.33%. PROG has a consensus price target of $44.83, suggesting a potential upside of 50.57%. Given PROG's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe PROG is more favorable than McGrath RentCorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
McGrath RentCorp	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
PROG	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the MarketBeat Community favor MGRC or PRG?

McGrath RentCorp received 226 more outperform votes than PROG when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 58.11% of users gave McGrath RentCorp an outperform vote while only 55.17% of users gave PROG an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
McGrath RentCorp	Outperform Votes 258 58.11%	Underperform Votes 186 41.89%
PROG	Outperform Votes 32 55.17%	Underperform Votes 26 44.83%

Is MGRC or PRG more profitable?

McGrath RentCorp has a net margin of 25.44% compared to PROG's net margin of 8.01%. PROG's return on equity of 24.25% beat McGrath RentCorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
McGrath RentCorp	25.44%	13.68%	6.16%
PROG	8.01%	24.25%	10.09%

Is MGRC or PRG a better dividend stock?

McGrath RentCorp pays an annual dividend of $1.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. PROG pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. McGrath RentCorp pays out 20.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. PROG pays out 10.7% 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. McGrath RentCorp has increased its dividend for 33 consecutive years and PROG has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. PROG is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

PROG beats McGrath RentCorp on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.