Comparing ARQ (ARQ) and Its Competitors

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) is one of 19 publicly-traded companies in the “Miscellaneous chemical products” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare ARQ to similar businesses based on the strength of its dividends, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

ARQ has a beta of 1.45, indicating that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARQ’s peers have a beta of 1.22, indicating that their average share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.8% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are owned by institutional investors. 22.2% of ARQ shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.6% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for ARQ and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	0	0	N/A
ARQ Competitors	44	371	340	9	2.41

As a group, “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies have a potential upside of 26.27%. Given ARQ’s peers higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe ARQ has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ARQ and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	-$12.25 million	-15.66
ARQ Competitors	$1.05 billion	$41.01 million	11.48

ARQ’s peers have higher revenue and earnings than ARQ. ARQ is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-12.35%	-8.35%	-6.16%
ARQ Competitors	-14.35%	-42.19%	-22.95%

About ARQ

Arq, Inc. produces activated carbon products in North America. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered and granular activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products are used in various applications, including water treatment, ground water remediation, soil sediments, air emissions, and asphalt additives. The company was formerly known as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Arq, Inc. in February 2024. Arq, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.