Compass Minerals International (CMP) Competitors

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) and Materion (NYSE:MTRN) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Does the media favor CMP or MTRN?

In the previous week, Compass Minerals International had 1 more articles in the media than Materion. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Compass Minerals International and 1 mentions for Materion. Compass Minerals International's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Materion's score of 0.53 indicating that Compass Minerals International is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Compass Minerals International	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Materion	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is CMP or MTRN more profitable?

Materion has a net margin of 0.59% compared to Compass Minerals International's net margin of -12.15%. Materion's return on equity of 12.83% beat Compass Minerals International's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Compass Minerals International	-12.15%	-24.24%	-4.36%
Materion	0.59%	12.83%	6.49%

Do analysts prefer CMP or MTRN?

Compass Minerals International currently has a consensus target price of $19.00, suggesting a potential downside of 8.37%. Given Compass Minerals International's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Compass Minerals International is more favorable than Materion.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Compass Minerals International	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Materion	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Which has more volatility and risk, CMP or MTRN?

Compass Minerals International has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its share price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Materion has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of CMP or MTRN?

99.8% of Compass Minerals International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.6% of Materion shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Compass Minerals International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.6% of Materion shares are held by company 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.

Which has better earnings and valuation, CMP or MTRN?

Materion has higher revenue and earnings than Compass Minerals International. Compass Minerals International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Materion, 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
Compass Minerals International	$1.12B	0.77	-$206.10M	-$3.56	-5.82
Materion	$1.68B	1.10	$5.89M	$0.50	177.89

Summary

Materion beats Compass Minerals International on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.