Head-To-Head Contrast: 5N Plus (OTCMKTS:FPLSF) versus Avient (NYSE:AVNT)

5N Plus (OTCMKTS:FPLSF) and Avient (NYSE:AVNT) are both materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares 5N Plus and Avient”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
5N Plus	$391.06 million	4.90	$50.57 million	$0.64	33.30
Avient	$3.26 billion	1.30	$81.90 million	$1.85	24.90

Avient has higher revenue and earnings than 5N Plus. Avient is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than 5N Plus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.1% of 5N Plus shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.5% of Avient shares are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of 5N Plus shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Avient shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for 5N Plus and Avient, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
5N Plus	0	1	2	1	3.00
Avient	0	4	3	0	2.43

Avient has a consensus target price of $47.88, suggesting a potential upside of 3.92%. Given Avient’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Avient is more favorable than 5N Plus.

Profitability

This table compares 5N Plus and Avient’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
5N Plus	11.99%	26.34%	11.39%
Avient	5.10%	11.64%	4.67%

Volatility and Risk

5N Plus has a beta of 1.94, indicating that its stock price is 94% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Avient has a beta of 1.23, indicating that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

5N Plus beats Avient on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About 5N Plus

5N Plus Inc. produces and sells specialty metals and chemicals in North America, Europe, and Asia. It operates through two segments, Specialty Semiconductors and Performance Materials. The company offers semiconductor compounds, semiconductor wafers, metals, epitaxial semiconductor substrates, and solar cells. It also provides active pharmaceutical ingredients, animal feed additives, specialized chemicals, commercial grade metals, alloys, engineered powders, and recycling services. The company serves renewable energy, security, space, pharmaceutical, medical imaging, manufacturing, electronic, consumer, and industrial application markets. 5N Plus Inc. is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

About Avient

Avient Corporation operates as a formulator of material solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and Asia. It operates in two segments, Color, Additives and Inks; and Specialty Engineered Materials. The Color, Additives and Inks segment offers custom color and additive concentrates in solid and liquid form for thermoplastics, dispersions for thermosets, and specialty inks; custom-formulated liquid system, such as polyester, vinyl, natural rubber and latex, polyurethane, and silicone; and proprietary inks. Its products are used in medical and pharmaceutical devices, food packaging, personal care and cosmetics, transportation, building products, wire and cable, recreational and athletic apparel, construction and filtration, outdoor furniture, healthcare, textiles and appliances, and industrial markets. The Specialty Engineered Materials segment provides specialty polymer formulations, services, and solutions for designers, assemblers, and processors of thermoplastic materials. It sells its products through direct sales personnel, distributors, and commissioned sales agents. The company was formerly known as PolyOne Corporation and changed its name to Avient Corporation in June 2020. Avient Corporation was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio.