Head-To-Head Review: ARQ (ARQ) versus The Competition

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) is one of 18 publicly-traded companies in the “Miscellaneous chemical products” industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare ARQ to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, profitability, risk, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and its competitors’ 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%

Volatility & Risk

ARQ has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARQ’s competitors have a beta of 0.95, meaning that their average share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares ARQ and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	-$12.25 million	-14.52
ARQ Competitors	$1.13 billion	$45.11 million	13.54

ARQ’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than ARQ. ARQ 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for ARQ and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	0	0	N/A
ARQ Competitors	42	368	334	9	2.41

As a group, “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies have a potential upside of 22.44%. Given ARQ’s competitors higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe ARQ has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.2% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are held by institutional investors. 22.2% of ARQ shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 14.6% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

About ARQ

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.