Vesuvius (OTCMKTS:CKSNY) versus AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Head-To-Head Analysis

Vesuvius (OTCMKTS:CKSNY) and AECOM (NYSE:ACM) are both construction companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, risk, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Vesuvius has a beta of -0.25, meaning that its stock price is 125% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AECOM has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Vesuvius and AECOM’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vesuvius	N/A	N/A	N/A
AECOM	3.16%	28.52%	6.08%

Dividends

Vesuvius pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. AECOM pays an annual dividend of $1.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. AECOM pays out 32.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. AECOM has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Vesuvius and AECOM”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vesuvius	$2.39 billion	0.60	$68.84 million	N/A	N/A
AECOM	$16.14 billion	0.56	$561.77 million	$3.83	18.29

AECOM has higher revenue and earnings than Vesuvius.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

85.4% of AECOM shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of AECOM shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Vesuvius and AECOM, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vesuvius	0	0	0	0	0.00
AECOM	0	4	9	0	2.69

AECOM has a consensus target price of $116.00, suggesting a potential upside of 65.58%. Given AECOM’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe AECOM is more favorable than Vesuvius.

Summary

AECOM beats Vesuvius on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vesuvius

Vesuvius plc is engaged in molten metal flow engineering, principally serving the steel and foundry industries. It develops and manufactures high-technology products and solutions for supply to the steel and casting industries. The Company operates through two segments: Steel and Foundry. The Steel division consists of various product lines, such as Steel Flow Control, Advanced Refractories and Technical Services. Its solution is a fully integrated robotic spray application system with a coupled mixing and laser setting system for the accurate location of the tundish furniture and mix preparation. The automatic robotic mixing and application system is fully contained and shielded with automatic shutdown if someone enters the working zone inside the tundish stand. Its technology allows robots to handle various tasks, such as manipulating steel samplers and temperature or hydrogen sensors, and to distribute powder into the tundish.

About AECOM

AECOM, together with its subsidiaries, provides professional infrastructure consulting services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Americas, International, and AECOM Capital. The company offers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, construction and program management, and investment and development services to public and private clients. It is also involved in the investment and development of real estate projects. In addition, the company provides construction services, including building construction and energy, and infrastructure and industrial construction. It serves transportation, water, government, facilities, environmental, and energy sectors. The company was formerly known as AECOM Technology Corporation and changed its name to AECOM in January 2015. AECOM was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.