Reviewing Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOD) and 5N Plus (OTCMKTS:FPLSF)

Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOD) and 5N Plus (OTCMKTS:FPLSF) are both materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Akzo Nobel and 5N Plus, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Akzo Nobel	0	0	0	0	0.00
5N Plus	0	1	2	1	3.00

Profitability

This table compares Akzo Nobel and 5N Plus’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Akzo Nobel	9.76%	9.43%	3.69%
5N Plus	14.14%	27.47%	11.45%

Risk and Volatility

Akzo Nobel has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, 5N Plus has a beta of 1.89, meaning that its stock price is 89% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Akzo Nobel and 5N Plus”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Akzo Nobel	$10.86 billion	1.54	$940.40 million	$1.58	15.51
5N Plus	$391.06 million	5.01	$50.57 million	$0.70	31.14

Akzo Nobel has higher revenue and earnings than 5N Plus. Akzo Nobel is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than 5N Plus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.2% of Akzo Nobel shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of 5N Plus shares are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of 5N Plus shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

5N Plus beats Akzo Nobel on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Akzo Nobel

Akzo Nobel N.V. operates as a paints and coatings company in the Netherlands and internationally. The company operates through Decorative Paints and Performance Coatings segments. It provides decorative paints, including paints, lacquers, and varnishes; mixing machines, color concepts, and training courses for the building and renovation industry; and specialty coatings for metal, wood, and other building materials. The company offers its decorative paints under the Alba, Astral, Bruguer, Coral, Dulux, Flexa, Inca, Levis, Marshall, Nordsjo, Sadolin, Sikkens, and Vivechrome brands. It also offers performance coatings to protect and enhance ships, cars, aircraft, yachts, architectural components, consumer goods, and oil and gas facilities. The company was formerly known as Akzo NV and changed its name to Akzo Nobel N.V. in 1994. Akzo Nobel N.V. was founded in 1646 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

About 5N Plus

5N Plus Inc. produces and sells specialty metals and chemicals in North America, Europe, and Asia. It operates through two segments, Specialty Semiconductors and Performance Materials. The company offers semiconductor compounds, semiconductor wafers, metals, epitaxial semiconductor substrates, and solar cells. It also provides active pharmaceutical ingredients, animal feed additives, specialized chemicals, commercial grade metals, alloys, engineered powders, and recycling services. The company serves renewable energy, security, space, pharmaceutical, medical imaging, manufacturing, electronic, consumer, and industrial application markets. 5N Plus Inc. is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.