Head-To-Head Contrast: Firstgroup (OTCMKTS:FGROY) versus Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (NASDAQ:OMAB)

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (NASDAQ:OMAB) and Firstgroup (OTCMKTS:FGROY) are both transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability and risk.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte and Firstgroup”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte	$15.74 billion	0.27	$237.12 million	$5.65	17.52
Firstgroup	$6.46 billion	0.27	$162.68 million	N/A	N/A

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte has higher revenue and earnings than Firstgroup.

Dividends

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte pays an annual dividend of $2.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Firstgroup pays an annual dividend of $0.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte pays out 37.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte and Firstgroup, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte	2	3	2	0	2.00
Firstgroup	0	0	0	0	0.00

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte currently has a consensus price target of $92.17, indicating a potential downside of 6.88%. Given Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte is more favorable than Firstgroup.

Profitability

This table compares Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte and Firstgroup’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte	33.36%	53.08%	18.93%
Firstgroup	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

9.5% of Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Firstgroup shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Firstgroup has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte beats Firstgroup on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., together with its subsidiaries, holds concessions to develop, operate, and maintain airports in Mexico. The company operates 13 international airports in Monterrey, Acapulco, Mazatlán, Zihuatanejo, Ciudad Juárez, Reynosa, Chihuahua, Culiacán, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Tampico, Torreón, and Zacatecas cities. It also operates the NH Collection Hotel in Terminal 2 of the Mexico City International Airport, and a hotel under the Hilton Garden Inn name at the Monterrey International Airport. In addition, the company provides aeronautical services, which include passenger, aircraft landing and parking, boarding and unloading, passenger walkway, and airport security services. Further, it offers complementary services that comprise leasing of space to airlines, cargo handling, baggage-screening, permanent and non-permanent ground transportation, and access rights services; non-aeronautical services, such as leasing of space at its airports to retailers, restaurants, and other commercial tenants, as well as maintaining of parking facilities and advertising; and diversification services, which consists of operation and lease of the industrial park and real estate services, as well as hotel and air cargo logistics services. Additionally, the company provides construction services. It has a strategic alliance with VYNMSA Desarrollo Inmobiliario, S.A. de C.V. to build and operate an industrial park at the Monterrey airport. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

About Firstgroup

FirstGroup plc provides public transport services in the United Kingdom. The company operates through First Bus and First Rail segments. The First Bus segment offers local bus services with a fleet of approximately 4,800 buses in the United Kingdom. The First Rail segment operates a passenger rail network that provides long-distance, commuter, regional, and sleeper services through a portfolio of Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, and Avanti West Coast franchises; and hull trains and Lumos. FirstGroup plc was founded in 1986 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.