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

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

Analyst Ratings

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

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

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

Valuation and Earnings

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

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

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.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

97.4% of Albany International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.8% of ATS shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Albany International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

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

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

Volatility and Risk

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

Summary

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

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.

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.