Head to Head Comparison: Core & Main (CNM) versus Its Peers

Core & Main (NYSE:CNM) is one of 159 public companies in the “Trading Companies & Distributors” industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Core & Main to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, risk, profitability and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Core & Main and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Core & Main	5.87%	26.17%	8.58%
Core & Main Competitors	2.91%	-33.93%	3.55%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Core & Main and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Core & Main	0	5	7	0	2.58
Core & Main Competitors	1410	4870	6696	229	2.43

Core & Main presently has a consensus price target of $56.70, indicating a potential upside of 24.06%. As a group, “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies have a potential upside of 5.00%. Given Core & Main’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Core & Main is more favorable than its rivals.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

94.2% of Core & Main shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.9% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Core & Main shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.7% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Core & Main and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Core & Main	$7.65 billion	$441.00 million	19.37
Core & Main Competitors	$6.46 billion	$364.19 million	24.91

Core & Main has higher revenue and earnings than its rivals. Core & Main is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Volatility & Risk

Core & Main has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its share price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Core & Main’s rivals have a beta of 1.28, suggesting that their average share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Core & Main beats its rivals on 9 of the 13 factors compared.

Core & Main Company Profile

Core & Main, Inc. is a specialty distributor focused on water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, and related services. The company provides infrastructure solutions to municipalities, private water companies and professional contractors across municipal, non-residential, and residential end markets, nationwide. The company was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.