United-Guardian (UG) versus Its Peers Critical Review

United-Guardian (NASDAQ:UG) is one of 896 public companies in the “Pharmaceuticals” industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare United-Guardian to similar businesses based on the strength of its risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for United-Guardian and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
United-Guardian	0	1	0	0	2.00
United-Guardian Competitors	7798	13889	25783	1038	2.41

As a group, “Pharmaceuticals” companies have a potential upside of 24.59%. Given United-Guardian’s competitors stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe United-Guardian has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares United-Guardian and its competitors top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
United-Guardian	$10.55 million	$2.11 million	12.43
United-Guardian Competitors	$5.32 billion	$3.20 billion	555.09

United-Guardian’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than United-Guardian. United-Guardian is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

23.2% of United-Guardian shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.6% of shares of all “Pharmaceuticals” companies are owned by institutional investors. 29.0% of United-Guardian shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 14.2% of shares of all “Pharmaceuticals” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

United-Guardian pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.9%. United-Guardian pays out 111.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, “Pharmaceuticals” companies pay a dividend yield of 3.3% and pay out 49.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. United-Guardian has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Volatility and Risk

United-Guardian has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United-Guardian’s competitors have a beta of -3.71, indicating that their average stock price is 471% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares United-Guardian and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
United-Guardian	22.01%	22.24%	19.12%
United-Guardian Competitors	-2,380.39%	-218.78%	-15.59%

Summary

United-Guardian competitors beat United-Guardian on 9 of the 15 factors compared.

United-Guardian Company Profile

United-Guardian, Inc. manufactures and markets cosmetic ingredients, pharmaceuticals, medical lubricants, and proprietary specialty industrial products in the United States and internationally The company offers cosmetic ingredients, including LUBRAJEL, a line of water-based gel formulation for sensory enhancement, lubrication, and texture to personal care products; LUBRAJEL NATURAL for skin moisturizing; LUBRAJEL MARINE that develops natural products using naturally derived polymers; LUBRAJEL OlL NATURAL, which makes luxuriant textures without adding viscosity; LUBRAJEL TERRA, a multifunctional, moisturizing hydrogel products; LUBRASIL II SB, a formulation of LUBRAJEL; LUBRAJEL II XD; B-122, a powdered lubricant used in the manufacture of pressed powders, eyeliners, rouges, and industrial products; and ORCHID COMPLEX, an oil-soluble base for extract of fresh orchids used in fragrance products, such as perfumes and toiletries. Its medical lubricants comprise LUBRAJEL RR and RC, which are water-based lubricant gels for urinary catheters; LUBRAJEL MG to lubricate urinary catheters, pre-lubricated enema tips, and other medical devices; LUBRAJEL MGL, a medical lubricant with a lower viscosity medical lubricant; LUBRAJEL LC, LUBRAJEL BA, and LUBRAJEL FA, which are formulations for oral care; and LUBRAJEL FLUID to lubricate water-soluble products. The company's pharmaceutical products consist of RENACIDIN, a prescription drug to prevent and dissolve calcifications in urethral catheters and the urinary bladder; and CLORPACTIN WCS-90, an antimicrobial used in urology. Its industrial products include DESELEX, a sequestering and chelating agent used for manufacturing detergents; and THOROCLENS, a chlorine-based industrial cleanser. The company also conducts research and product development of cosmetic ingredients. The company was founded in 1942 and is based in Hauppauge, New York.