Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH – Get Free Report) and Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina (NYSE:LOMA – Get Free Report) are both construction companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, risk and earnings.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Meritage Homes and Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Meritage Homes | $6.40 billion | 0.79 | $786.19 million | $9.84 | 7.33 |
| Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina | $767.70 million | 1.93 | $169.19 million | $0.31 | 40.90 |
Volatility and Risk
Meritage Homes has a beta of 1.44, suggesting that its stock price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
98.4% of Meritage Homes shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 19.3% of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Meritage Homes shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Meritage Homes and Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Meritage Homes | 8.96% | 10.37% | 7.13% |
| Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina | 5.67% | 4.40% | 2.46% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Meritage Homes and Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Meritage Homes | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2.45 |
| Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.80 |
Meritage Homes currently has a consensus price target of $84.57, suggesting a potential upside of 17.25%. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina has a consensus price target of $14.80, suggesting a potential upside of 16.74%. Given Meritage Homes’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Meritage Homes is more favorable than Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina.
Summary
Meritage Homes beats Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Meritage Homes
Meritage Homes Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs and builds single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. It acquires and develops land; and constructs, markets, and sells homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The company also offers title and escrow, mortgage, insurance, and closing/settlement services to its homebuyers. Meritage Homes Corporation was founded in 1985 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
About Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina
Loma Negra Compañía Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anónima, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cement and its derivatives in Argentina. The company operates through Cement, Masonry Cement and Lime; Concrete; Railroad; Aggregates; and Others segments. It offers masonry cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, concrete, and lime to wholesale distributors, concrete producers, industrial customers, and others for use in the construction. The company also provides rail transportation services; and treats and recycles industrial waste for use as fuel and raw material. It markets its products under the Loma Negra, San Martín, Plasticor, Cacique Plus, Cacique Max, Loma Negra Plus, and Lomax brands. The company was founded in 1926 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Loma Negra Compañía Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anónima is a subsidiary of Intercement Trading E Inversiones Argentina Sociedad Limitada.
Receive News & Ratings for Meritage Homes Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meritage Homes and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
