PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) and Axalta Coating Systems (NASDAQ:AXTA) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitabiliy, risk and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares PPG Industries and Axalta Coating Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| PPG Industries | 6.79% | 29.47% | 9.49% |
| Axalta Coating Systems | 6.50% | 21.46% | 4.47% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for PPG Industries and Axalta Coating Systems, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| PPG Industries | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Axalta Coating Systems | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2.29 |
PPG Industries presently has a consensus target price of $113.93, suggesting a potential upside of 8.85%. Axalta Coating Systems has a consensus target price of $33.77, suggesting a potential upside of 15.45%. Given Axalta Coating Systems’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Axalta Coating Systems is more favorable than PPG Industries.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
71.8% of PPG Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of PPG Industries shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares PPG Industries and Axalta Coating Systems’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | EBITDA | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| PPG Industries | $14.85 billion | 1.81 | $2.56 billion | $3.84 | 27.26 |
| Axalta Coating Systems | $4.15 billion | 1.71 | $875.60 million | N/A | N/A |
PPG Industries has higher revenue and earnings than Axalta Coating Systems.
Dividends
PPG Industries pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Axalta Coating Systems does not pay a dividend. PPG Industries pays out 41.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Axalta Coating Systems has increased its dividend for 44 consecutive years.
Summary
PPG Industries beats Axalta Coating Systems on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About PPG Industries
PPG Industries, Inc. manufactures and distributes a range of coatings and specialty materials. The Company has three segments: Performance Coatings, Industrial Coatings and Glass. The Performance Coatings segment includes the refinish, aerospace, protective and marine, architectural businesses. The Industrial Coatings segment includes the automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM), industrial coatings, packaging coatings, coatings services and specialty coatings and materials businesses. The Glass segment includes the North American fiber glass business. The Company’s geographical segments include the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. The Company’s brands include PPG, GLIDDEN, COMEX, OLYMPIC, DULUX, SIKKENS, PPG PITTSBURGH PAINTS, MULCO, FLOOD, LIQUID NAILS, SICO, CIL, RENNER, TAUBMANS, WHITE KNIGHT, BRISTOL, HOMAX, DEKORAL, TRILAK, GORI, and BONDEX, among others.
About Axalta Coating Systems
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. is a holding company. The Company is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of coatings systems primarily serving the transportation industry. The Company’s segments include Performance Coatings and Transportation Coatings. Through its Performance Coatings segment, the Company provides liquid and powder coatings solutions to a fragmented and local customer base. Through its Transportation Coatings segment, the Company provides coating technologies to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of light and commercial vehicles. The Performance Coatings segment serves various end markets, including refinish and industrial. The Company develops, markets and supplies a portfolio of coatings systems and color matching technologies. The Company also develops and supplies an array of coatings systems for a range of commercial applications, including heavy-duty truck (HDT), bus, rail and agricultural construction equipment (ACE).
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