Rayonier (RYN) Competitors

Potlatch (NASDAQ:PCH) and Rayonier (NYSE:RYN) are both mid-cap construction companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Which has more risk & volatility, PCH or RYN?

Potlatch has a beta of 1.14, meaning that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rayonier has a beta of 1.02, meaning that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is PCH or RYN more profitable?

Rayonier has a net margin of 30.09% compared to Potlatch's net margin of 4.35%. Rayonier's return on equity of 3.29% beat Potlatch's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Potlatch	4.35%	2.36%	1.46%
Rayonier	30.09%	3.29%	1.74%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of PCH or RYN?

86.1% of Potlatch shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.1% of Rayonier shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Potlatch shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Rayonier shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media refer more to PCH or RYN?

In the previous week, Rayonier had 2 more articles in the media than Potlatch. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for Rayonier and 19 mentions for Potlatch. Rayonier's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Potlatch's score of 0.26 indicating that Rayonier is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Potlatch	4 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Rayonier	9 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, PCH or RYN?

Rayonier has higher revenue and earnings than Potlatch. Rayonier is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Potlatch, 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
Potlatch	$1.06B	3.09	$21.88M	$0.61	68.51
Rayonier	$1.26B	3.01	$359.15M	$2.33	10.47

Do analysts recommend PCH or RYN?

Potlatch currently has a consensus price target of $50.00, suggesting a potential upside of 19.65%. Rayonier has a consensus price target of $27.75, suggesting a potential upside of 13.80%. Given Potlatch's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Potlatch is more favorable than Rayonier.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Potlatch	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Rayonier	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Is PCH or RYN a better dividend stock?

Potlatch pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Rayonier pays an annual dividend of $1.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Potlatch pays out 295.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Rayonier pays out 46.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Rayonier is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Rayonier beats Potlatch on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.