SThree (STEM) Competitors

Hays (LON:HAS) and SThree (LON:STEM) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, community ranking, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and media sentiment.

Does the media refer more to HAS or STEM?

In the previous week, Hays had 1 more articles in the media than SThree. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Hays and 1 mentions for SThree. SThree's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat Hays' score of -1.09 indicating that SThree is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hays	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Negative
SThree	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is HAS or STEM more profitable?

SThree has a net margin of 3.33% compared to Hays' net margin of -0.07%. SThree's return on equity of 20.90% beat Hays' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hays	-0.07%	-0.84%	2.27%
SThree	3.33%	20.90%	10.67%

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer HAS or STEM?

Hays received 849 more outperform votes than SThree when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 82.86% of users gave SThree an outperform vote while only 70.47% of users gave Hays an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Hays	Outperform Votes 878 70.47%	Underperform Votes 368 29.53%
SThree	Outperform Votes 29 82.86%	Underperform Votes 6 17.14%

Which has more risk and volatility, HAS or STEM?

Hays has a beta of 1.13, indicating that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SThree has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of HAS or STEM?

91.2% of Hays shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.8% of SThree shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Hays shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.2% of SThree shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has higher valuation and earnings, HAS or STEM?

SThree has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Hays. Hays is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SThree, 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
Hays	£6.91B	0.16	-£4.87M	-£0.31	-228.57
SThree	£1.47B	0.22	£48.77M	£37.80	6.59

Do analysts rate HAS or STEM?

Hays presently has a consensus target price of GBX 120, suggesting a potential upside of 68.42%. SThree has a consensus target price of GBX 345, suggesting a potential upside of 38.55%. Given Hays' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Hays is more favorable than SThree.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hays	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
SThree	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is HAS or STEM a better dividend stock?

Hays pays an annual dividend of GBX 3 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. SThree pays an annual dividend of GBX 17 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.8%. Hays pays out -962.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SThree pays out 45.0% 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.

Summary

SThree beats Hays on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.