Ascent Industries (NASDAQ:ACNT – Get Free Report) and Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD – Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
26.1% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.6% of Middleby shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.3% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.2% of Middleby shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk & Volatility
Ascent Industries has a beta of 0.45, meaning that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Middleby has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ascent Industries | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Middleby | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2.75 |
Middleby has a consensus price target of $161.33, indicating a potential upside of 2.31%. Given Middleby’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Middleby is more favorable than Ascent Industries.
Profitability
This table compares Ascent Industries and Middleby’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ascent Industries | 0.85% | -1.63% | -1.09% |
| Middleby | -5.22% | 14.66% | 7.20% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Ascent Industries and Middleby”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ascent Industries | $177.87 million | 0.85 | -$13.60 million | $0.12 | 135.17 |
| Middleby | $3.88 billion | 2.05 | $428.43 million | ($4.40) | -35.84 |
Middleby has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Industries. Middleby is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ascent Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Middleby beats Ascent Industries on 11 of the 15 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 Middleby
The Middleby Corporation designs, markets, manufactures, distributes, and services foodservice, food processing, and residential kitchen equipment worldwide. Its Commercial Foodservice Equipment Group segment offers conveyor, combi, convection, baking, proofing, deck, speed cooking, and hydrovection ovens; ranges, fryers, and rethermalizers; steam cooking, food warming, catering, induction cooking, and countertop cooking equipment; heated cabinets, charbroilers, ventless cooking systems, kitchen ventilation, toasters, griddles, charcoal grills, professional mixers, stainless steel fabrication, custom millwork, professional refrigerators, blast chillers, cold rooms, ice machines, and freezers; soft serve ice cream, coffee and beverage dispensing, home and professional craft brewing equipment; and fry dispensers, bottle filling and canning equipment, IoT solutions, and controls development and manufacturing. The company's Food Processing Equipment Group segment provides batch, baking, proofing, conveyor belt, and continuous processing ovens; frying and automated thermal processing systems; tumblers, massagers, grinders, slicers, reduction and emulsion systems, mixers, and blenders; battering, breading, and seeding equipment; water cutting systems, food presses, food suspension equipment, filling and depositing solutions, and forming equipment; and automated washing systems, auto-guided vehicles, food safety, food handling, freezing, and defrosting and packaging equipment. Its Residential Kitchen Equipment Group segment offers kitchen equipment comprising cookers, stoves, cooktops, microwaves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, undercounter refrigeration, wine cellars, ice machines, beer dispensers, mixers, rotisseries, and ventilation and outdoor cooking equipment. The company was formerly known as Middleby Marshall Oven Company and changed its name to The Middleby Corporation in 1985. The company was founded in 1888 and is based in Elgin, Illinois.
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