Head-To-Head Comparison: ARQ (ARQ) and The Competition

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) is one of 18 public companies in the “Miscellaneous chemical products” industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare ARQ to related companies based on the strength of its profitability, valuation, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Volatility & Risk

ARQ has a beta of 1.45, suggesting that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARQ’s competitors have a beta of 2.43, suggesting that their average share price is 143% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-12.35%	-8.35%	-6.16%
ARQ Competitors	-16.81%	-49.01%	-26.47%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ARQ and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	-$12.25 million	-14.62
ARQ Competitors	$1.09 billion	$40.04 million	9.23

ARQ’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than ARQ. ARQ is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for ARQ and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	0	0	N/A
ARQ Competitors	39	317	309	9	2.43

As a group, “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies have a potential upside of 0.59%. Given ARQ’s competitors higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe ARQ has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.4% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are owned by institutional investors. 22.2% of ARQ shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 17.0% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

ARQ competitors beat ARQ on 6 of the 10 factors compared.

ARQ Company Profile

Arq, Inc. produces activated carbon products in North America. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered and granular activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products are used in various applications, including water treatment, ground water remediation, soil sediments, air emissions, and asphalt additives. The company was formerly known as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Arq, Inc. in February 2024. Arq, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.