Head to Head Contrast: ARQ (ARQ) vs. Its Competitors

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) is one of 19 public companies in the “Miscellaneous chemical products” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare ARQ to similar companies based on the strength of its profitability, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-12.35%	-8.35%	-6.16%
ARQ Competitors	-14.40%	-42.23%	-22.96%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for ARQ and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	0	0	N/A
ARQ Competitors	42	368	336	9	2.41

As a group, “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies have a potential upside of 20.84%. Given ARQ’s peers higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe ARQ has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.8% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are held by institutional investors. 22.2% of ARQ shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 15.6% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ARQ and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	-$12.25 million	-15.10
ARQ Competitors	$1.05 billion	$41.01 million	12.15

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

Risk & Volatility

ARQ has a beta of 1.44, meaning that its share price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARQ’s peers have a beta of 1.22, meaning that their average share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

ARQ Company Profile

Arq, Inc. produces activated carbon products in North America. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered and granular activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products are used in various applications, including water treatment, ground water remediation, soil sediments, air emissions, and asphalt additives. The company was formerly known as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Arq, Inc. in February 2024. Arq, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.