Associated British Foods (ABF) Competitors

Cranswick (LON:CWK) and Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and community ranking.

Is CWK or ABF more profitable?

Associated British Foods has a net margin of 7.25% compared to Cranswick's net margin of 4.35%. Associated British Foods' return on equity of 13.07% beat Cranswick's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cranswick	4.35%	12.64%	8.26%
Associated British Foods	7.25%	13.07%	5.51%

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in CWK or ABF?

84.6% of Cranswick shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.5% of Associated British Foods shares are held by institutional investors. 4.5% of Cranswick shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 58.1% of Associated British Foods shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor CWK or ABF?

In the previous week, Cranswick's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Associated British Foods' score of 0.00 indicating that Cranswick is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Cranswick	Positive
Associated British Foods	Neutral

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, CWK or ABF?

Associated British Foods has higher revenue and earnings than Cranswick. Associated British Foods is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cranswick, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cranswick	£2.61B	1.02	£113.74M	£210.14	23.48
Associated British Foods	£19.45B	0.71	£1.41B	£196.33	9.73

Is CWK or ABF a better dividend stock?

Cranswick pays an annual dividend of GBX 90 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Associated British Foods pays an annual dividend of GBX 54 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Cranswick pays out 42.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Associated British Foods pays out 27.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Associated British Foods is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer CWK or ABF?

Associated British Foods received 760 more outperform votes than Cranswick when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 72.98% of users gave Associated British Foods an outperform vote while only 63.72% of users gave Cranswick an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Cranswick	Outperform Votes 404 63.72%	Underperform Votes 230 36.28%
Associated British Foods	Outperform Votes 1164 72.98%	Underperform Votes 431 27.02%

Do analysts prefer CWK or ABF?

Cranswick presently has a consensus price target of GBX 3,420.67, suggesting a potential downside of 30.69%. Associated British Foods has a consensus price target of GBX 2,246.67, suggesting a potential upside of 17.56%. Given Associated British Foods' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Associated British Foods is more favorable than Cranswick.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cranswick	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Associated British Foods	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Which has more risk & volatility, CWK or ABF?

Cranswick has a beta of 0.44, indicating that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Associated British Foods has a beta of 1.24, indicating that its share price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Associated British Foods beats Cranswick on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.