Head-To-Head Survey: Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) versus Arkema (OTCMKTS:ARKAY)

Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) and Arkema (OTCMKTS:ARKAY) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Air Liquide and Arkema”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Air Liquide	$29.28 billion	4.11	$3.58 billion	N/A	N/A
Arkema	$10.33 billion	0.56	$383.06 million	$4.48	16.99

Air Liquide has higher revenue and earnings than Arkema.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Air Liquide and Arkema, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Air Liquide	0	2	1	1	2.75
Arkema	1	2	0	1	2.25

Dividends

Air Liquide pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Arkema pays an annual dividend of $3.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. Arkema pays out 67.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Air Liquide and Arkema’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Air Liquide	N/A	N/A	N/A
Arkema	3.40%	7.42%	3.84%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Air Liquide shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Air Liquide has a beta of 0.9, meaning that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Arkema has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Air Liquide beats Arkema on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Air Liquide

L'Air Liquide S.A. provides gases, technologies, and services for the industrial and health sectors in Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates in Gas & Services, Engineering & Construction, and Global Markets & Technologies segments. The Gas & Services segment comprises large industries business, which offers gas and energy solutions including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, as well as operates cogeneration plants to supply steam and electricity to metals, chemicals, refining, and energy industries; and industrial merchant business line provides industrial gases, equipment, hardgoods, and associated services to materials and energy, automotive and manufacturing, food and pharmaceuticals, technology and research, and craftsmen and retail sectors. This segment also includes healthcare business, which provides medical gases, home healthcare services, medical equipment, and specialty ingredient to patients, healthcare professionals, and hospitals; and electronic business supply carrier gases, electronic specialty and advanced materials, equipment and installation, and service to semiconductor, flat panel, and photovoltaic markets. The Engineering & Construction segment designs, develops, and builds industrial gas production plants to third parties; and design and manufacture plants in traditional, renewable and alternative energy sectors. The Global Markets & Technologies segment delivers technological solutions, such as molecules, equipment, and services to energy transition and deep technology. This segment also invests in and operates biomethane production units; designs hydrogen refueling stations; and supplies gases for the offshore oil and gas platforms, offshore wind turbines, and cryogenic transportation by sea. L'Air Liquide S.A. was incorporated in 1902 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

About Arkema

Arkema S.A. manufactures and sells specialty chemicals and advanced materials worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials and Coating Solutions, and Intermediates. The Adhesive Solutions segment provides solutions for construction, renovation of buildings, DIY, durable goods, and packaging and non-woven applications; and supplies technologies used in building activities for businesses and individuals, including sealants, tiles, flooring adhesives and waterproofing systems, and technologies used in industry, which include automotive, textiles, glazing, flexible and rigid packaging, and hygiene markets. This segment also offers performance polymers, such as specialty polyamides, PVDF, polyimides, fluorospecialties, and polyetherketoneketone; and performance additives which includes molecular sieves, organic peroxides, thiochemicals, and hydrogen peroxide. The Advance Materials and Coating Solutions segment offers coating solutions, including comprising EU/US acrylics and coating resins; coating additives, such as sartomer photocure resins and coatex rheology additives. This segment also provides decorative paints, industrial coatings, and adhesives; and solutions for applications in the paper, superabsorbent, water treatment and oil and gas extraction, and 3D printing and electronics industries. The Intermediates segment provides fluorogases and acrylics; and industrial intermediate chemicals used in construction, refrigeration and air conditioning, automotive, coatings, and water treatment sectors. Arkema S.A. was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Colombes, France.