Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ: GSM) and U.S. Silica Holdings (NYSE:SLCA) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitabiliy and institutional ownership.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Ferroglobe PLC and U.S. Silica Holdings’ top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | EBITDA | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ferroglobe PLC | $1.53 billion | 1.45 | $32.76 million | ($0.69) | -18.71 |
| U.S. Silica Holdings | $681.91 million | 3.45 | $56.62 million | ($0.42) | -69.07 |
U.S. Silica Holdings has higher revenue, but lower earnings than Ferroglobe PLC. U.S. Silica Holdings is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ferroglobe PLC, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
Ferroglobe PLC has a beta of 1.75, suggesting that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, U.S. Silica Holdings has a beta of 2.37, suggesting that its stock price is 137% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Dividends
U.S. Silica Holdings pays an annual dividend of $0.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ferroglobe PLC does not pay a dividend. U.S. Silica Holdings pays out -59.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.
Profitability
This table compares Ferroglobe PLC and U.S. Silica Holdings’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ferroglobe PLC | -7.60% | -3.96% | -1.94% |
| U.S. Silica Holdings | -4.07% | -1.94% | -1.07% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Ferroglobe PLC and U.S. Silica Holdings, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ferroglobe PLC | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2.83 |
| U.S. Silica Holdings | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 2.80 |
Ferroglobe PLC currently has a consensus price target of $12.85, indicating a potential downside of 0.46%. U.S. Silica Holdings has a consensus price target of $56.29, indicating a potential upside of 94.03%. Given U.S. Silica Holdings’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe U.S. Silica Holdings is more favorable than Ferroglobe PLC.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
39.9% of Ferroglobe PLC shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.1% of Ferroglobe PLC shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of U.S. Silica Holdings shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
U.S. Silica Holdings beats Ferroglobe PLC on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ferroglobe PLC
Ferroglobe PLC, formerly VeloNewco Limited, is engaged in silicon and specialty metals industry. The Company produces silicon metal and silicon- and manganese-based alloy, which serves customers in the chemical, aluminum, solar, steel and ductile iron foundry industries. It operates through two segments: Electrometallurgy and Energy. It Electrometallurgy segment includes its coal and quartz mining operations and its silicon metal and ferroalloy production, whereas the Energy segment consists of its hydroelectric power operations. It currently operates approximately 20 production smelting facilities in the field of electrometallurgy: approximately five in Spain, over five in the United States of America, over six in France, over three in South Africa, one in Venezuela, one in Poland, one in Canada, one in Argentina and one in China. It diversifies its production base across approximately five continents, such as Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
About U.S. Silica Holdings
U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. is a domestic producer of commercial silica, a specialized mineral that is an input into a range of end markets. The Company operates in two segments: Oil & Gas Proppants, and Industrial & Specialty Products. In the Oil & Gas Proppants segment, it serves the oil and gas recovery market providing fracturing sand, or frac sand, which is pumped down oil and natural gas wells to prop open rock fissures and manage the flow rate of natural gas and oil from the wells. As of December 31, 2016, the Industrial & Specialty Products segment consisted of over 215 products and materials, which are used in a range of industries, including container glass, fiberglass, specialty glass, flat glass, building products, fillers and extenders, foundry products, chemicals, recreation products and filtration products. It produces and sells a range of commercial silica products, including whole grain and ground products, as well as other industrial mineral products.
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