Head to Head Comparison: American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) vs. Knife River (NYSE:KNF)

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) and American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) are both construction companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Knife River and American Biltrite’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Knife River	4.87%	9.97%	4.41%
American Biltrite	-4.16%	-34.23%	-6.13%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Knife River and American Biltrite, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Knife River	0	3	6	0	2.67
American Biltrite	0	0	0	0	0.00

Knife River presently has a consensus price target of $96.33, indicating a potential upside of 20.79%. Given Knife River’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Knife River is more favorable than American Biltrite.

Risk & Volatility

Knife River has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Biltrite has a beta of -0.31, suggesting that its stock price is 131% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

80.1% of Knife River shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Knife River shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Knife River and American Biltrite”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Knife River	$2.90 billion	1.56	$201.68 million	$2.61	30.56
American Biltrite	$188.74 million	0.01	-$2.64 million	($229.80)	-0.31

Knife River has higher revenue and earnings than American Biltrite. American Biltrite is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Knife River, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Knife River beats American Biltrite on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides aggregates- led construction materials and contracting services in the United States. It operates through Pacific, Northwest, Mountain, Central, and Energy Services segments. The company mines, processes, and sells construction aggregates, including crushed stone and sand, and gravel; and produces and sells asphalt and ready-mix concrete. It also provides contracting service, such as heavy-civil construction, asphalt and concrete paving, and site development and grading. In addition, the company sells cement, merchandise, and other building materials and related services. The company sells its construction materials to public and private-sector customers, including federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as industrial, commercial and residential developers, and other private parties; and provides its contracting services to public-sector customers for the development and servicing of highways, local roads, bridges, and other public-infrastructure projects. Knife River Corporation was founded in 1917 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota.

About American Biltrite

American Biltrite Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides tape, jewelry, flooring, and rubber products worldwide. The company produces and offers pressure sensitive tapes, films, and protective sheeting under the American Biltrite and Ideal brands, which are used in various markets, such as automotive and transportation; construction; shoe/footwear; graphic arts, print, and signage; and various other industrial and consumer applications. It also manufactures and distributes commercial flooring primarily for healthcare, educational, and institutional sectors; and performance sheet rubber in North America, as well as designs and supplies fashion jewelry to department stores under the brands of Guess, T Tahari, Robert Rose, Berry, and Jessica McClintock. The company sells its tape products through sales organizations, distributors, and select manufacturers’ representatives. American Biltrite Inc. was founded in 1908 and is based in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.