Reviewing AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) and Elis (OTCMKTS:ELSSF)

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) and Elis (OTCMKTS:ELSSF) are both industrial products companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and profitability.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for AZZ and Elis, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AZZ	0	1	1	0	2.50
Elis	0	0	0	0	N/A

AZZ presently has a consensus target price of $80.00, indicating a potential upside of 11.70%. Given AZZ’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe AZZ is more favorable than Elis.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

90.9% of AZZ shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.1% of AZZ shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares AZZ and Elis’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AZZ	6.61%	15.66%	6.02%
Elis	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares AZZ and Elis’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AZZ	$1.54 billion	1.17	$101.61 million	$3.43	20.88
Elis	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

AZZ has higher revenue and earnings than Elis.

Summary

AZZ beats Elis on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About AZZ

AZZ Inc. provides hot-dip galvanizing and coil coating solutions in North America. It offers metal finishing solutions for corrosion protection, including hot-dip galvanizing, spin galvanizing, powder coating, anodizing, and plating to steel fabrication and other industries, as well as to fabricators or manufacturers that provide services to the transmission and distribution, bridge and highway, petrochemical, and general industrial markets; and original equipment manufacturers. It also provides aesthetic and corrosion protective coatings and related value-added services for steel and aluminum coil primarily serving the construction; appliance; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; container; transportation; and other end markets. The company was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

About Elis

Elis SA provides flat linen, workwear, and hygiene and well-being solutions in France, Central Europe, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Southern Europe, and internationally. The company offers table, bed, kitchen, patient, and bath linens; workwear and personal protective equipment; beverage solutions, such as water coolers and accessories, cups and bottles, and coffee machines; floor protection mats and mops; industrial wipers; and pest and rodent control, insect control, or disinfection services. It provides washroom hygiene services, such as hand washing and drying, toilet hygiene and urinals, lavatories, and air fragrancing; and reusable cleanroom garments, footwear, goggles, and related contamination control solutions, as well as cleaning systems. In addition, the company offers various solutions for collection and disposal of infectious waste, as well as laundry facilities. It serves the catering, accommodation, healthcare and social welfare, industries, trade and retail, and services sectors, as well as public authorities and administration. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in Saint-Cloud, France.