Celanese (NYSE:CE) versus Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) Head to Head Contrast

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) and Celanese (NYSE:CE) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and earnings.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

98.9% of Celanese shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Green Plains shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Celanese shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Green Plains and Celanese”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Green Plains	$2.46 billion	0.33	-$82.50 million	($2.92)	-3.92
Celanese	$10.28 billion	0.47	-$1.52 billion	($28.27)	-1.57

Green Plains has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Celanese. Green Plains is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Celanese, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Green Plains and Celanese, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Green Plains	2	5	3	1	2.27
Celanese	3	12	6	0	2.14

Green Plains currently has a consensus price target of $10.00, indicating a potential downside of 12.74%. Celanese has a consensus price target of $53.06, indicating a potential upside of 19.55%. Given Celanese’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Celanese is more favorable than Green Plains.

Profitability

This table compares Green Plains and Celanese’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Green Plains	-8.37%	-16.78%	-8.14%
Celanese	-31.85%	9.87%	2.29%

Volatility and Risk

Green Plains has a beta of 1.44, meaning that its share price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Celanese has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Celanese beats Green Plains on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Green Plains

Green Plains Inc. produces low-carbon fuels in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Ethanol Production, Agribusiness and Energy Services, and Partnership. The Ethanol Production segment produces ethanol, distillers grains, and ultra-high protein and renewable corn oil. The Agribusiness and Energy Services segment engages in the grain procurement, handling and storage, commodity marketing business; and trading of ethanol, distiller grains, renewable corn oil, grain, natural gas, and other commodities in various markets. This segment also provides grain drying and storage services to grain producers. The Partnership segment offers fuel storage and transportation services. It operates 24 ethanol storage facilities; two fuel terminal facilities; and a fleet of approximately 2,180 leased railcars. The company was formerly known as Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. and changed its name to Green Plains Inc. in May 2014. Green Plains Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation, a chemical and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. It operates through Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics. The Acetyl Chain segment produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomers, acetic anhydride, and acetate esters that are used as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings, and pharmaceuticals; and organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical products. It also offers vinyl acetate-based emulsions for use in paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles, and paper applications; and ethylene vinyl acetate resins and compounds, as well as low-density polyethylene for use in flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, automotive parts, and carpeting applications. In addition, it provides redispersible powders (RDP) for use in construction applications, including flooring, plasters, insulation, tiling, and waterproofing. Celanese Corporation was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.