Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN – Get Free Report) and International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF – Get Free Report) are both materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Aspen Aerogels and International Flavors & Fragrances, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Aspen Aerogels | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.29 |
| International Flavors & Fragrances | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 2.63 |
Aspen Aerogels presently has a consensus target price of $5.94, suggesting a potential upside of 14.29%. International Flavors & Fragrances has a consensus target price of $93.22, suggesting a potential upside of 2.83%. Given Aspen Aerogels’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Aspen Aerogels is more favorable than International Flavors & Fragrances.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Aspen Aerogels and International Flavors & Fragrances”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Aspen Aerogels | $271.10 million | 1.59 | -$389.55 million | ($1.53) | -3.40 |
| International Flavors & Fragrances | $10.89 billion | 2.12 | -$361.00 million | $1.09 | 83.17 |
International Flavors & Fragrances has higher revenue and earnings than Aspen Aerogels. Aspen Aerogels is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than International Flavors & Fragrances, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Aspen Aerogels and International Flavors & Fragrances’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Aspen Aerogels | -62.45% | -31.12% | -17.33% |
| International Flavors & Fragrances | 2.78% | 7.11% | 3.96% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
97.6% of Aspen Aerogels shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.0% of International Flavors & Fragrances shares are held by institutional investors. 3.0% of Aspen Aerogels shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of International Flavors & Fragrances shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Aspen Aerogels has a beta of 3.06, indicating that its stock price is 206% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International Flavors & Fragrances has a beta of 0.91, indicating that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
International Flavors & Fragrances beats Aspen Aerogels on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Aspen Aerogels
Aspen Aerogels, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aerogel insulation products primarily for use in the energy infrastructure and sustainable insulation materials markets in the United States, Asia, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. It operates in two segments, Energy Industrial and Thermal Barrier. The company offers PyroThin thermal barriers for use in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and energy storage industries; Pyrogel XTE that reduces the risk of corrosion under insulation in energy infrastructure operating systems; and Pyrogel HPS for applications within the power generation market. It also offers Pyrogel XTF to provide protection against fire; Cryogel Z for sub-ambient and cryogenic applications in the energy infrastructure market; Spaceloft Subsea for use in pipe-in-pipe applications in offshore oil production; and Cryogel X201, which is used in designing cold systems, such as refrigerated appliances, cold storage equipment, and aerospace systems. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Northborough, Massachusetts.
About International Flavors & Fragrances
International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. engages in the manufacture and supply of flavors and fragrances used in the food, beverage, personal care, and household products industries. It operates through the following segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions. The Nourish segment consists of legacy Taste segment combined with N&B’s Food & Beverage division and the food protection business of N&B’s Health & Biosciences division. The Health & Biosciences business consists of a biotechnology-driven portfolio of enzymes, food cultures, probiotics and specialty ingredients for food, home and personal care, and health and wellness applications. The Scent business creates fragrance compounds, fragrance ingredients and cosmetic ingredients that are integral elements in the world’s finest perfumes and best-known household and personal care products. The Pharma Solutions business produces a vast portfolio including cellulosics and seaweed-based pharma excipients, used to improve the functionality and delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including controlled or modified drug release formulations, and enabling. The company was founded in 1833 and is headquartered in New York, NY.
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