Root (NASDAQ:ROOT) & Hannover Ruck (OTCMKTS:HVRRY) Financial Survey

Hannover Ruck (OTCMKTS:HVRRY) and Root (NASDAQ:ROOT) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Volatility and Risk

Hannover Ruck has a beta of 0.2, meaning that its share price is 80% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Root has a beta of 2.85, meaning that its share price is 185% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Hannover Ruck and Root”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hannover Ruck	$30.30 billion	1.15	$2.99 billion	$4.23	11.36
Root	$1.52 billion	0.57	$40.30 million	$3.34	16.21

Hannover Ruck has higher revenue and earnings than Root. Hannover Ruck is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Root, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Hannover Ruck and Root’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hannover Ruck	9.84%	19.51%	3.73%
Root	3.58%	19.97%	3.39%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.0% of Hannover Ruck shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 59.8% of Root shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.0% of Root shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Hannover Ruck and Root, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hannover Ruck	1	1	0	2	2.75
Root	0	5	2	0	2.29

Root has a consensus target price of $86.00, indicating a potential upside of 58.82%. Given Root’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Root is more favorable than Hannover Ruck.

Summary

Hannover Ruck beats Root on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hannover Ruck

Hannover Rück SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, Africa, and internationally. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance; and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The company provides property and casualty reinsurance solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock; aviation and space; catastrophe XL; credit, surety, and political risks; facultative; and marine and offshore energy businesses, as well as insurance-linked securities and structured reinsurance. It offers risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality. In addition, the company offers group life, retirement, lifestyle, credit life, and Takaful reinsurance products. Further, the company provides various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and reinsurance and solvency II businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover Rückversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover Rück SE in March 2013. Hannover Rück SE was founded in 1966 and is based in Hanover, Germany. Hannover Rück SE operates as a subsidiary of Talanx AG.

About Root

Root, Inc. provides insurance products and services in the United States. The company offers automobile, homeowners, and renters insurance products. It operates a direct-to-consumer model; and serves customers primarily through mobile applications, as well as through its website. The company's direct distribution channels also cover digital, media, and referral channels, as well as distribution partners and agencies. Root, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.