Analyzing Ascent Industries (NASDAQ:ACNT) & Perimeter Solutions (NYSE:PRM)

Ascent Industries (NASDAQ:ACNT) and Perimeter Solutions (NYSE:PRM) are both materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ascent Industries and Perimeter Solutions”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ascent Industries	$83.54 million	1.48	-$4.05 million	($0.45)	-30.40
Perimeter Solutions	$757.07 million	6.22	-$365.02 million	($2.23)	-12.89

Ascent Industries has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Perimeter Solutions. Ascent Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Perimeter Solutions, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for Ascent Industries and Perimeter Solutions, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ascent Industries	1	0	0	0	1.00
Perimeter Solutions	1	1	4	0	2.50

Perimeter Solutions has a consensus price target of $41.50, indicating a potential upside of 44.34%. Given Perimeter Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Perimeter Solutions is more favorable than Ascent Industries.

Risk and Volatility

Ascent Industries has a beta of 0.48, indicating that its stock price is 52% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Perimeter Solutions has a beta of 1.92, indicating that its stock price is 92% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ascent Industries and Perimeter Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ascent Industries	N/A	N/A	N/A
Perimeter Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

26.0% of Ascent Industries shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.9% of Perimeter Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 7.5% of Ascent Industries shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.1% of Perimeter Solutions shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Perimeter Solutions beats Ascent Industries on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ascent Industries

Ascent Industries Co. an industrials company, produces and distributes stainless steel pipe and tube and specialty chemicals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Tubular Products and Specialty Chemicals. It manufactures welded pipes and tubes, primarily from stainless steel, duplex, and nickel alloys; and ornamental stainless steel tubes for automotive, commercial transportation, marine, food services, construction, furniture, healthcare, and other industries. The company also produces defoamers, surfactants, and lubricating agents for end users, including companies that supply agrochemical paper, metal working, coatings, water treatment, paint, mining, oil and gas, and janitorial and other applications. In addition, it provides contract manufacturing services, as well as operates as a multi-purpose plant to process various difficult to handle materials, including flammable solvents, viscous liquids, and granular solids. The company was formerly known as Synalloy Corporation and changed its name to Ascent Industries Co. in August 2022. Ascent Industries Co. was founded in 1945 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

About Perimeter Solutions

Perimeter Solutions, SA manufactures and supplies firefighting products and lubricant additives in the United States, Germany, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Fire Safety and Specialty Products. The Fire Safety segment provides fire retardants and firefighting foams, as well as specialized equipment and services for federal, state, provincial, local/municipal, and commercial customers. The Specialty Products segment produces and sells Phosphorus Pentasulfide, which is primarily used in the preparation of lubricant additives, including a family of compounds called Zinc Dialkyldithiophosphates. The company offers its products under the PHOS-CHEK, FIRE-TROL, AUXQUIMIA, and SOLBERG brands. Perimeter Solutions, SA was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Clayton, Missouri.