Critical Analysis: Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group (OTCMKTS:KWBT) vs. Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD)

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) and Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group (OTCMKTS:KWBT) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Air Products and Chemicals and Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Air Products and Chemicals	-3.28%	15.18%	6.64%
Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

81.7% of Air Products and Chemicals shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Air Products and Chemicals shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group shares are held 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Air Products and Chemicals and Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Air Products and Chemicals	$12.04 billion	4.83	-$394.50 million	($1.78)	-146.68
Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Air Products and Chemicals.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Air Products and Chemicals and Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Air Products and Chemicals	1	7	7	1	2.50
Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus target price of $293.80, suggesting a potential upside of 12.53%. Given Air Products and Chemicals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Air Products and Chemicals is more favorable than Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group.

Summary

Air Products and Chemicals beats Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals. It also designs and manufactures equipment for air separation, hydrocarbon recovery and purification, natural gas liquefaction, and liquid helium and liquid hydrogen transport and storage. The company was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

About Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group

Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes bio-technological products for the agricultural market primarily in the People's Republic of China. It offers bacillus species and/or photosynthetic bacteria based biological organic, compound microbial, bio-water soluble, and microbial inoculum fertilizers. The company has a strategic cooperation agreements with the Beijing Zhongpin Agricultural Science and Technology Development Center; China Academy of Agricultural Science's Institute of Agricultural Resources & Regional Planning; and Institute of Agricultural Economy & Development, as well as Kiwa Bio-Tech (Yangling) Co. Ltd. Kiwa Bio-Tech Products Group Corporation was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Yangling, China.