Contrasting Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ:APOG) & Rockwool A/S (OTCMKTS:RKWBF)

Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ:APOG) and Rockwool A/S (OTCMKTS:RKWBF) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Apogee Enterprises and Rockwool A/S’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Apogee Enterprises	7.72%	24.74%	12.72%
Rockwool A/S	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

94.1% of Apogee Enterprises shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.4% of Rockwool A/S shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Apogee Enterprises shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Apogee Enterprises and Rockwool A/S’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Apogee Enterprises	$1.39 billion	1.03	$99.61 million	$4.87	13.44
Rockwool A/S	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5.65	71.76

Apogee Enterprises has higher revenue and earnings than Rockwool A/S. Apogee Enterprises is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Rockwool A/S, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Apogee Enterprises pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Rockwool A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Apogee Enterprises pays out 20.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Rockwool A/S pays out 17.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Apogee Enterprises has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Apogee Enterprises is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Apogee Enterprises and Rockwool A/S, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Apogee Enterprises	0	1	0	0	2.00
Rockwool A/S	0	0	0	0	N/A

Apogee Enterprises presently has a consensus target price of $65.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.66%. Given Apogee Enterprises’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Apogee Enterprises is more favorable than Rockwool A/S.

Summary

Apogee Enterprises beats Rockwool A/S on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Apogee Enterprises

Apogee Enterprises, Inc. provides architectural products and services for enclosing buildings, and glass and acrylic products used for preservation, protection, and enhanced viewing in the United States, Canada, and Brazil. The company operates in four segments: Architectural Framing Systems, Architectural Glass, Architectural Services, and Large-Scale Optical (LSO). The Architectural Framing Systems segment designs, engineers, fabricates, finishes, and installs custom glass and aluminum window, curtainwall, storefront, and entrance systems for the exterior of buildings primarily in the non-residential construction sectors. The Architectural Glass segment provides a range of high-performance glass products for use in windows, curtainwall, storefront, and entrance systems. The Architectural Services segment integrates technical services, project management, and field installation services to design, engineer, fabricate, and install building glass and curtainwall systems. The LSO segment manufactures high-performance glazing products for the custom framing, fine art, and engineered optics markets. The company’s products and services are primarily used in commercial buildings, such as office buildings, hotels, and retail centers; institutional buildings comprising education facilities, health care facilities, and government buildings; transportation facilities, such as airports and transit terminals, as well as multi-family residential buildings. It markets its architectural products and services through direct sales force, independent sales representatives, distributors, and glazing subcontractors and general contractors; and value-added glass and acrylics through retail chains, as well as independent distributors to museums, galleries, and other customers. The company was incorporated in 1949 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About Rockwool A/S

Rockwool A/S produces and sells stone wool insulation products in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Insulation and Systems segments. It offers fire-safe stone wool insulation under the ROCKWOOL brand name; acoustic solutions for ceilings and walls under the Rockfon brand name; board materials that are applied in ventilated constructions for facade cladding, soffits, roof detailing, and fascia under the Rockpanel brand name; and rootzone management solutions for controlled environment agriculture under the Grodan brand name. The company also provides stone wool-based products used in the areas of rainwater management and prefab building systems, railway vibration control, automotive, and industrial OEM applications under the ROCKWOOL, Rockdelta, and Lapinus brand names. Rockwool A/S was founded in 1909 and is based in Hedehusene, Denmark.