American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) & James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Head-To-Head Comparison

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) and American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) are both construction companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings and dividends.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for James Hardie Industries and American Biltrite, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
James Hardie Industries	0	4	10	1	2.80
American Biltrite	0	0	0	0	0.00

James Hardie Industries presently has a consensus target price of $27.91, suggesting a potential upside of 60.56%. Given James Hardie Industries’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe James Hardie Industries is more favorable than American Biltrite.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

8.0% of James Hardie Industries shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares James Hardie Industries and American Biltrite”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
James Hardie Industries	$3.79 billion	1.97	$424.00 million	$0.77	22.57
American Biltrite	$188.74 million	0.01	-$2.64 million	($229.80)	-0.34

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

Profitability

This table compares James Hardie Industries and American Biltrite’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
James Hardie Industries	8.75%	27.95%	10.84%
American Biltrite	-3.66%	-28.92%	-5.48%

Risk & Volatility

James Hardie Industries has a beta of 1.82, meaning that its share price is 82% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Biltrite has a beta of -0.12, meaning that its share price is 112% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

James Hardie Industries beats American Biltrite on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About James Hardie Industries

James Hardie Industries plc manufactures and sells fiber cement, fiber gypsum, and cement bonded building products for interior and exterior building construction applications primarily in the United States, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The company operates through North America Fiber Cement, Asia Pacific Fiber Cement, and Europe Building Products segments. It offers fiber cement interior linings, exterior siding products, and related accessories; and various fiber cement products for a range of applications, including external cladding, internal walls, ceilings, floors, soffits, fences, and facades. The company also provides fiber gypsum and cement-bonded boards for use in the timber frame construction, dry lining, DIY, and structural fire protection applications. Its products are used in residential repair and remodel, and commercial and residential new construction markets James Hardie Industries plc was founded in 1888 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.

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.