Aspen Aerogels (ASPN) Competitors

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) and Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) are both construction companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership and community ranking.

Does the media prefer ASPN or CENT?

In the previous week, Aspen Aerogels had 1 more articles in the media than Central Garden & Pet. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Aspen Aerogels and 5 mentions for Central Garden & Pet. Aspen Aerogels' average media sentiment score of 1.19 beat Central Garden & Pet's score of 0.67 indicating that Aspen Aerogels is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Aspen Aerogels	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Central Garden & Pet	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer ASPN or CENT?

Aspen Aerogels currently has a consensus target price of $19.11, suggesting a potential upside of 166.54%. Central Garden & Pet has a consensus target price of $45.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.51%. Given Aspen Aerogels' higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Aspen Aerogels is more favorable than Central Garden & Pet.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aspen Aerogels	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Central Garden & Pet	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.20

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, ASPN or CENT?

Central Garden & Pet has higher revenue and earnings than Aspen Aerogels. Central Garden & Pet is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aspen Aerogels, 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
Aspen Aerogels	$452.70M	1.30	$13.38M	$0.16	44.81
Central Garden & Pet	$3.22B	0.70	$107.98M	$1.82	18.95

Is ASPN or CENT more profitable?

Central Garden & Pet has a net margin of 3.77% compared to Aspen Aerogels' net margin of 2.95%. Central Garden & Pet's return on equity of 10.08% beat Aspen Aerogels' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aspen Aerogels	2.95%	7.49%	5.10%
Central Garden & Pet	3.77%	10.08%	4.38%

Which has more volatility & risk, ASPN or CENT?

Aspen Aerogels has a beta of 2.28, suggesting that its stock price is 128% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Central Garden & Pet has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor ASPN or CENT?

Aspen Aerogels received 126 more outperform votes than Central Garden & Pet when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 65.75% of users gave Aspen Aerogels an outperform vote while only 60.09% of users gave Central Garden & Pet an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Aspen Aerogels	Outperform Votes 382 65.75%	Underperform Votes 199 34.25%
Central Garden & Pet	Outperform Votes 256 60.09%	Underperform Votes 170 39.91%

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of ASPN or CENT?

97.6% of Aspen Aerogels shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.1% of Central Garden & Pet shares are held by institutional investors. 4.3% of Aspen Aerogels shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.2% of Central Garden & Pet shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Aspen Aerogels beats Central Garden & Pet on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.