Algoma Steel Group (ASTL) Competitors

National Steel (NYSE:SID) and Algoma Steel Group (NASDAQ:ASTL) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends, earnings, valuation and risk.

Is SID or ASTL more profitable?

National Steel has a net margin of -5.84% compared to Algoma Steel Group's net margin of -13.51%. National Steel's return on equity of -16.19% beat Algoma Steel Group's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
National Steel	-5.84%	-16.19%	-2.61%
Algoma Steel Group	-13.51%	-22.24%	-10.20%

Which has more risk & volatility, SID or ASTL?

National Steel has a beta of 1.64, indicating that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Algoma Steel Group has a beta of 1.65, indicating that its stock price is 65% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor SID or ASTL?

In the previous week, Algoma Steel Group had 13 more articles in the media than National Steel. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Algoma Steel Group and 2 mentions for National Steel. Algoma Steel Group's average media sentiment score of 0.57 beat National Steel's score of -1.50 indicating that Algoma Steel Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
National Steel	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Negative
Algoma Steel Group	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better earnings and valuation, SID or ASTL?

Algoma Steel Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than National Steel. National Steel is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Algoma Steel Group, 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
National Steel	$8.10B	0.23	-$480.53M	-$0.35	-3.99
Algoma Steel Group	$2.49B	0.22	-$62.28M	-$2.23	-2.30

Do analysts recommend SID or ASTL?

National Steel currently has a consensus price target of $1.30, indicating a potential downside of 6.81%. Given National Steel's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe National Steel is more favorable than Algoma Steel Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
National Steel	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.00
Algoma Steel Group	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in SID or ASTL?

72.0% of Algoma Steel Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of National Steel shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.8% of Algoma Steel Group 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.

Is SID or ASTL a better dividend stock?

National Steel pays an annual dividend of $0.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.2%. Algoma Steel Group pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. National Steel pays out -28.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Algoma Steel Group pays out -9.0% 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. National Steel is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

National Steel beats Algoma Steel Group on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.