JELD-WEN (NYSE:JELD) & A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Head to Head Survey

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) and JELD-WEN (NYSE:JELD) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares A. O. Smith and JELD-WEN’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
A. O. Smith	13.15%	27.88%	15.21%
JELD-WEN	-16.36%	-246.42%	-5.69%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares A. O. Smith and JELD-WEN”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
A. O. Smith	$3.83 billion	2.01	$546.20 million	$3.60	15.77
JELD-WEN	$3.21 billion	0.05	-$621.21 million	($6.04)	-0.31

A. O. Smith has higher revenue and earnings than JELD-WEN. JELD-WEN is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than A. O. Smith, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

A. O. Smith has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, JELD-WEN has a beta of 2.23, meaning that its stock price is 123% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for A. O. Smith and JELD-WEN, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
A. O. Smith	2	5	2	0	2.00
JELD-WEN	1	5	0	0	1.83

A. O. Smith currently has a consensus price target of $67.75, suggesting a potential upside of 19.36%. JELD-WEN has a consensus price target of $2.10, suggesting a potential upside of 11.35%. Given A. O. Smith’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe A. O. Smith is more favorable than JELD-WEN.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

76.1% of A. O. Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.0% of JELD-WEN shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of A. O. Smith shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of JELD-WEN shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

A. O. Smith beats JELD-WEN on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets residential and commercial gas and electric water heaters, boilers, heat pumps, tanks, and water treatment products in North America, China, Europe, and India. The company offers water heaters for residences, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, laundries, car washes, and small businesses; boilers for hospitals, schools, hotels, and other large commercial buildings, as well as homes, apartments, and condominiums; and water treatment products comprising point-of-entry water softeners, well water solutions, and whole-home water filtration products, and point-of-use carbon and reverse osmosis products for residences, restaurants, hotels, and offices. It also provides commercial water treatment and filtration product; expansion tanks, commercial solar water heating systems, swimming pool and spa heaters, and related products and parts; and electric wall-hung, gas tankless, combi-boiler, and heat pump and solar water heaters. The company offers its products under the A. O. Smith, State, Lochinvar, Hague, Water-Right, Master Water, Atlantic Filter, and Water Tec brands. It distributes its products through independent wholesale plumbing distributors, as well as to retail channels consisting of hardware and home center chains, and manufacturer representative firms; and offers Aquasana branded products directly to consumers through e-commerce channels. A. O. Smith Corporation was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

About JELD-WEN

JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells wood, metal, and composite materials doors, windows, and related building products in North America and Europe. The company offers a line of residential interior and exterior door products, including patio doors, and folding or sliding wall systems; non-residential doors; stile and rail doors; and wood, vinyl, and wood composite windows. It also provides other ancillary products and services, such as trim boards, glasses, hardware and locks, window screens, and molded door skins, as well as miscellaneous installation and other services. The company sells its products under the JELD-WEN, AuraLast, MiraTEC, Extira, LaCANTINA, MMI Door, Karona, ImpactGard, JW, Aurora, IWP, True BLU, ABS, Siteline, National Door, Low-Friction Glider, Hydrolock, VPI, AURALINE, FINISHIELD, MILLENNIUM, TRUFIT, EPICVUE, EVELIN, Swedoor, Dooria, DANA, Mattiovi, Zargag, Alupan, Domoferm, Kellpax, and HSE brands. It serves wholesale distributors and retailers, retail home centers, and building product dealers, as well as homebuilders, contractors, and consumers. JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.