Contrasting Smith-Midland (NASDAQ:SMID) & China Resources Cement (OTCMKTS:CARCY)

China Resources Cement (OTCMKTS:CARCY) and Smith-Midland (NASDAQ:SMID) are both construction companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

40.7% of Smith-Midland shares are held by institutional investors. 5.0% of Smith-Midland shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares China Resources Cement and Smith-Midland’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
China Resources Cement	2.85%	1.64%	1.01%
Smith-Midland	1.90%	3.03%	1.82%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares China Resources Cement and Smith-Midland’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
China Resources Cement	$4.11 billion	0.51	$247.19 million	$0.45	20.11
Smith-Midland	$50.13 million	1.93	$800,000.00	$0.19	96.85

China Resources Cement has higher revenue and earnings than Smith-Midland. China Resources Cement is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Smith-Midland, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

China Resources Cement has a beta of 0.1, suggesting that its stock price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Smith-Midland has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for China Resources Cement and Smith-Midland, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
China Resources Cement	0	2	0	0	2.00
Smith-Midland	0	0	0	0	N/A

Summary

Smith-Midland beats China Resources Cement on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About China Resources Cement

China Resources Cement Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in manufacture and sale of cement, concrete, and related products and services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. It operates through Cement and Concrete segments. The company engages in the excavation of limestone; and production, sale, and distribution of cement, clinker, and concrete. It offers Portland cement; and basic and structural building materials under the Runfeng brand. The company's products are used in the construction of infrastructure projects, such as railways, highways, subways, bridges, airports, ports, dams, and hydroelectric and nuclear power stations, as well as high-rise buildings, and suburban and rural area development. It also trades in cement, steel pipes, aggregates, and construction materials; provides environmental protection engineering and building materials testing and consultancy services; mines aggregates; manufacture and processes engineered stones; holds properties; and manufactures and sells prefabricated construction materials. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. China Resources Cement Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of CRH (Cement) Limited.

About Smith-Midland

Smith-Midland Corporation, through its subsidiaries, invents, develops, manufactures, markets, leases, licenses, sells, and installs precast concrete products and systems primarily for use in the construction, highway, utilities, and farming industries. It offers SlenderWall, a patented, lightweight, energy efficient concrete and steel exterior wall panel for use in building construction; Sierra Wall that provides sound and sight barrier for use alongside highways around residential, industrial, and commercial properties; J-J Hooks highway safety barriers for use on roadways to separate lanes of traffic in construction work zone or traffic control purposes; and Easi-Set precast building and Easi-Span expandable precast buildings for use in housing communications operations, traffic control systems, and mechanical and electrical stations. The company also provides Easi-Set utility vaults for house equipment, such as cable, telephone, or traffic signal equipment, and for underground storage, as well as custom-built utility vaults for special needs; SoftSound soundwall panels to absorb highway noise; Beach Prisms, an erosion control module for seawalls and jetties; and H2Out secondary drainage systems for panelized exterior cladding. In addition, it licenses its proprietary products in the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Mexico, New Zealand, and Trinidad. The company markets its products through in-house sales force and independent sales representatives to contractors performing public and private construction contracts, such as construction of commercial buildings, public and private roads and highways, airports, and municipal utilities; and federal, state, and local transportation authorities. Smith-Midland Corporation was founded in 1960 and is based in Midland, Virginia.