Critical Analysis: YouGov (OTCMKTS:YUGVF) vs. ALS (OTCMKTS:CPBLF)

ALS (OTCMKTS:CPBLF) and YouGov (OTCMKTS:YUGVF) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Dividends

ALS pays an annual dividend of $0.39 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. YouGov pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. ALS pays out 134.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. YouGov pays out 150.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. ALS is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ALS and YouGov”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ALS	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.29	56.74
YouGov	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.00	783.75

ALS is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than YouGov, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for ALS and YouGov, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ALS	0	1	1	0	2.50
YouGov	0	0	0	0	0.00

ALS currently has a consensus target price of $28.00, indicating a potential upside of 70.73%. Given ALS’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe ALS is more favorable than YouGov.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

23.2% of ALS shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.5% of YouGov shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares ALS and YouGov’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ALS	N/A	N/A	N/A
YouGov	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

ALS beats YouGov on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ALS

ALS Limited provides professional technical services primarily in the areas of testing, measurement, and inspection in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. It operates in two segments, Commodities and Life Sciences. The Commodities segment offers assaying and analytical testing, and metallurgical services for the mining and mineral exploration companies. Its testing and consulting services cover the resource life cycle, including exploration, feasibility, optimization, production, design, development, trade, and rehabilitation. This segment also provides coal sampling, analysis and certification, formation evaluation, and related analytical testing services. The Life Sciences segment offers analytical testing and sampling, and remote monitoring services for the environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and consumer products markets; and microbiological, physical, and chemical testing services. This segment provides analytical testing data to assist consulting and engineering firms, industries, and governments. ALS Limited was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.

About YouGov

YouGov plc provides online market research services in the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, Mainland Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through three divisions: Data Products, Data Services, and Custom Research. The Data Products division offers syndicated data products, which are available to clients on a subscription basis. The Data Services division provides clients with fast-turnaround services. The Custom Research division offers a range of quantitative and qualitative research services. It is also involved in the software development. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.