Contrasting Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) and Japan Steel Works (OTCMKTS:JPSWY)

Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) and Japan Steel Works (OTCMKTS:JPSWY) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership and dividends.

Volatility & Risk

Trimble has a beta of 1.65, meaning that its share price is 65% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Japan Steel Works has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Trimble and Japan Steel Works”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Trimble	$3.68 billion	4.89	$1.50 billion	$1.16	65.20
Japan Steel Works	$1.63 billion	2.88	$118.54 million	$0.85	37.22

Trimble has higher revenue and earnings than Japan Steel Works. Japan Steel Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Trimble, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Trimble and Japan Steel Works’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Trimble	8.02%	10.24%	6.23%
Japan Steel Works	6.95%	9.76%	4.84%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

93.2% of Trimble shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Trimble shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Trimble and Japan Steel Works, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Trimble	0	1	8	2	3.09
Japan Steel Works	0	1	1	0	2.50

Trimble presently has a consensus price target of $92.10, indicating a potential upside of 21.78%. Given Trimble’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Trimble is more favorable than Japan Steel Works.

Summary

Trimble beats Japan Steel Works on 15 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Trimble

Trimble Inc. provides technology solutions that enable professionals and field mobile workers to enhance or transform their work processes worldwide. The company's Buildings and Infrastructure segment offers field and office software for project design and visualization; systems to guide and control construction equipment; software for 3D design and data sharing; systems to monitor, track, and manage assets, equipment, and workers; software to share and communicate data; program management solutions for construction owners; 3D conceptual design and modeling software; building information modeling software; enterprise resource planning, project management, and project collaboration solutions; integrated site layout and measurement systems; cost estimating, scheduling, and project controls solutions; and applications for sub-contractors and trades. Its Geospatial segment provides surveying and geospatial products, and geographic information systems. The company's Resources and Utilities segment offers precision agriculture products and services, such as guidance and positioning systems, including autonomous steering systems, automated and variable-rate application and technology systems, and information management solutions; manual and automated navigation guidance for tractors and other farm equipment; solutions to automate application of pesticide and seeding; water solutions; and agricultural software. Its Transportation segment offers solutions for long haul trucking and freight shipper markets; mobility solutions comprising route management, safety and compliance, end-to-end vehicle management, video intelligence, and supply chain communications; and fleet and transportation management systems, analytics, routing, mapping, reporting, and predictive modeling solutions. The company was formerly known as Trimble Navigation Limited and changed its name to Trimble Inc. in October 2016. Trimble Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado.

About Japan Steel Works

The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. engages in the provision of industrial machinery products, and material and engineering business in Japan and internationally. It operates through Industrial Machinery Products Business, and Material and Engineering Business segments. The Industrial Machinery Products Business segment offers plastic production and processing machinery, such as pelletizers, film and sheet manufacturing equipment, and twin-screw extruders; molding machines including plastic injection molding, magnesium injection molding, and blow molding machines; and other machinery consists of excimer laser annealing systems, defense equipment, railway products, hot press devices, vacuum laminators, and deposit systems, as well as after-sales services for plastics, mobility, high-performance batteries, electronic devices, and defense applications. The Material and Engineering Business segment provides steel casting and forgings, such as reactor and steam generator parts, rotor shafts, turbine casings, die steel, steel rolls for steel manufacturing, and clad steel plates; and engineering and other services, including design and analysis, welded structures, inspection and survey, and hydrogen pressure accumulators and related products for use in power generation equipment, renewable energy, and infrastructure applications. The company offers photonics, composite materials, and metallic materials for use in semiconductors and electronic devices, cameras and sensing devices, aircraft and mobility components, and electronic parts. The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Shinagawa, Japan.