Reviewing Sumitomo Chemcl (OTCMKTS:SOMMY) and Tantech (NASDAQ:TANH)

Sumitomo Chemcl (OTCMKTS:SOMMY) and Tantech (NASDAQ:TANH) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Sumitomo Chemcl and Tantech’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sumitomo Chemcl	0.35%	0.80%	0.25%
Tantech	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Sumitomo Chemcl and Tantech”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Sumitomo Chemcl	$17.12 billion	0.29	$254.70 million	$0.17	87.73
Tantech	$42.94 million	0.00	-$3.24 million	N/A	N/A

Sumitomo Chemcl has higher revenue and earnings than Tantech.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Sumitomo Chemcl and Tantech, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sumitomo Chemcl	0	1	0	0	2.00
Tantech	1	0	0	0	1.00

Institutional & Insider Ownership

6.0% of Tantech shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of Tantech shares are owned by 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 & Risk

Sumitomo Chemcl has a beta of 0.28, meaning that its share price is 72% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Tantech has a beta of 0.36, meaning that its share price is 64% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Sumitomo Chemcl beats Tantech on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sumitomo Chemcl

Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited engages in Chemicals & Plastics, energy and functional materials, IT-related chemicals, health and crop sciences, pharmaceuticals, and other businesses worldwide. Its Essential Chemicals & Plastics segment offers synthetic resins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethyl methacrylate resins; raw materials for synthetic fibers; and various industrial chemicals. The company's Energy & Functional Materials segment provides alumina and aluminum products used for energy products; resorcinol for tires, wood adhesives, flame retardants, and ultraviolet ray absorbants; polymer additives and rubber chemicals; synthetic rubber for tires, shoes, construction materials, and other applications; and engineering plastics and lithium-ion secondary battery materials for use in electronic components and next-generation vehicles. Its IT-Related Chemicals segment provides polarizing films, touch screen sensor panels, and color resists and polymer OLED for LC and OLED displays; photoresists and high-purity chemicals for the semiconductor manufacturing process; and compound semiconductor materials for antenna switches and other components of communication terminal equipment. The company's Health & Crop Sciences segment offers crop protection chemicals, fertilizers, feed additives, and household insecticides; active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates; and products to control infectious diseases. Its Pharmaceuticals segment provides prescription and diagnostic pharmaceuticals. The company's Others segment supplies electric power and steam; designs, constructs, and supervises chemical plants; provides transportation and warehousing services; and conducts physical property and environmental analysis. Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Tantech

Tantech Holdings Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures bamboo-based charcoal products for industrial energy, household cooking, heating, purification, agricultural, and cleaning applications in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Consumer Products, Electric Vehicles, and Biodegradable Packaging. It provides pressed and formed charcoal briquettes for use in grills, incense burners, and other applications under the Algold brand. The company also offers Charcoal Doctor branded products, such as air purifiers and humidifiers, automotive accessories for air purification, underfloor humidity control products, pillows and mattresses, wardrobe deodorizers, mouse pads and wrist mats, refrigerator deodorants, charcoal toilet cleaner disks, liquid charcoal cleaners, shoe insoles, and decorative charcoal gifts. In addition, it provides bamboo vinegar, a liquid byproduct for use in disinfectants, detergents, lotions, specialized soaps, toilet cleaners, and fertilizers, as well as in various agricultural applications; and trades in charcoal products. Further, the company develops and sells electric buses, electric logistics cars, and specialty electric vehicles, such as brushless cleaning cars, electric cleaning cars, special emergency vehicles, and funeral cars; and solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, auto parts, and electric control systems. It is also involved in the biodegradable packaging and supply chain businesses, as well as provides commercial factoring services. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Lishui, the People's Republic of China.