Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL) vs. Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Head-To-Head Survey

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL) and Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores and Westwood Holdings Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores	$6.76 billion	0.81	$344.37 million	$0.36	12.78
Westwood Holdings Group	$97.76 million	1.58	$7.06 million	$0.79	20.68

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has higher revenue and earnings than Westwood Holdings Group. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westwood Holdings Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Westwood Holdings Group has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores and Westwood Holdings Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores	5.06%	6.99%	0.70%
Westwood Holdings Group	7.22%	8.24%	6.85%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores and Westwood Holdings Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores	0	2	0	0	2.00
Westwood Holdings Group	0	0	1	0	3.00

Dividends

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Westwood Holdings Group pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays out 38.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westwood Holdings Group pays out 75.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.2% of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.6% of Westwood Holdings Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.4% of Westwood Holdings Group shares are owned 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.

Summary

Westwood Holdings Group beats Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. provides a range of financial services and products to public and private sector customers in Colombia and Central America. It offers traditional deposit services and products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and other deposits. The company also provides commercial loans comprising general purpose loans, working capital loans, leases, loans funded by development banks, corporate credit cards, and overdraft loans; consumer loans, such as payroll loans, personal loans, automobile and other vehicle loans, credit cards, overdrafts, leases, and general purpose loans; and microcredit and mortgage loans. In addition, the company offers pension and severance fund management services; investment banking, including services relating to capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance transactions; mobile and online banking services; and bancassurance, insurance, trust, bonded warehousing and brokerage transactions, real estate escrow services, merchandise and document storage and deposit, customs agency, cargo management, surety bond and merchandise distribution services, and payment and collection services. Further, it is involved in equity investments in various sectors, including infrastructure, energy and gas, agribusiness, and hospitality; and treasury operations. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A.

About Westwood Holdings Group

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. The company operates in two segments, Advisory and Trust. The Advisory segment provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments, foundations, individuals, and the Westwood Funds; and investment sub-advisory services to mutual funds, pooled investment vehicles, and its Trust segment. The Trust segment offers trust and custodial services; and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors to institutions and high net worth individuals. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.