Comparing Albany International (NYSE:AIN) & ATS (NYSE:ATS)

ATS (NYSE:ATS) and Albany International (NYSE:AIN) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

75.8% of ATS shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.4% of Albany International shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Albany International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares ATS and Albany International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ATS	0.28%	8.02%	3.28%
Albany International	6.73%	14.25%	6.26%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for ATS and Albany International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ATS	1	3	3	0	2.29
Albany International	0	4	0	1	2.40

ATS presently has a consensus price target of $42.50, suggesting a potential upside of 145.31%. Albany International has a consensus price target of $69.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1.94%. Given ATS’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe ATS is more favorable than Albany International.

Volatility & Risk

ATS has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Albany International has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares ATS and Albany International”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ATS	$2.87 billion	0.58	$51.85 million	$0.05	346.50
Albany International	$1.31 billion	1.47	-$57.34 million	$3.09	21.91

ATS has higher revenue and earnings than Albany International. Albany International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ATS, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Albany International beats ATS on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ATS

ATS Corporation designs, builds and services automated manufacturing systems for companies seeking to improve production processes. Its offerings include custom automation equipment, robotics, assembly and testing systems, and related software and services. The company serves customers across a range of industries, including life sciences, food and beverage, transportation, consumer products and energy. Its work can span the manufacturing lifecycle, from system design and integration to installation, maintenance and upgrades.

About Albany International

Albany International Corporation is a materials science and manufacturing company founded in 1895 as Albany Felt Company. It operates through two businesses: Machine Clothing and Albany Engineered Composites. Machine Clothing makes permeable fabrics and belts used in paper production, as well as products for paperboard, tissue and other industrial applications. Albany Engineered Composites designs and manufactures advanced composite structures and components, primarily for the aerospace and defense industries.