Rayonier (RYN) Competitors

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

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

89.1% of Rayonier shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.1% of Potlatch shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Rayonier shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Potlatch shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is RYN or PCH 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
Rayonier	30.09%	3.29%	1.74%
Potlatch	4.35%	2.36%	1.46%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, RYN or PCH?

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
Rayonier	$1.26B	2.84	$359.15M	$2.33	9.89
Potlatch	$1.06B	2.98	$21.88M	$0.61	66.03

Is RYN or PCH a better dividend stock?

Rayonier pays an annual dividend of $1.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Potlatch pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Rayonier pays out 46.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. 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 is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, RYN or PCH?

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

Does the media refer more to RYN or PCH?

In the previous week, Rayonier had 6 more articles in the media than Potlatch. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Rayonier and 4 mentions for Potlatch. Potlatch's average media sentiment score of 1.01 beat Rayonier's score of 0.29 indicating that Potlatch is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Rayonier	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Potlatch	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts recommend RYN or PCH?

Rayonier presently has a consensus price target of $27.75, indicating a potential upside of 20.41%. Potlatch has a consensus price target of $48.57, indicating a potential upside of 20.58%. Given Potlatch's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Potlatch is more favorable than Rayonier.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Rayonier	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
Potlatch	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Summary

Rayonier beats Potlatch on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.