Head-To-Head Contrast: Materion (NYSE:MTRN) vs. Impala Platinum (OTCMKTS:IMPUY)

Materion (NYSE:MTRN) and Impala Platinum (OTCMKTS:IMPUY) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

93.6% of Materion shares are held by institutional investors. 2.6% of Materion shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Materion has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Impala Platinum has a beta of 1.01, suggesting that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Materion and Impala Platinum”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Materion	$1.68 billion	1.10	$5.89 million	$0.50	177.89
Impala Platinum	$4.62 billion	1.92	-$926.25 million	N/A	N/A

Materion has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Impala Platinum.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Materion and Impala Platinum, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Materion	0	1	0	0	2.00
Impala Platinum	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Materion and Impala Platinum’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Materion	0.59%	12.83%	6.49%
Impala Platinum	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Materion beats Impala Platinum on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Materion

Materion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces advanced engineered materials used in semiconductor, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, consumer electronics, and telecom and data center in the United States, Asia, Europe, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Performance Materials, Electronic Materials, Precision Optics, and Other. The company provides advanced engineered solutions comprising beryllium and non-beryllium containing alloy systems and custom engineered parts in strip, bulk, rod, plate, bar, tube, and other customized shapes; engineering and product development services; alloyed metals, beryllium products, and beryllium hydroxide; precision strip, rod, and wire products, as well as engineered strip metal products; and ToughMet alloys and SupremEX aluminum silicon carbide metal matrix composite formulation products. It operates the bertrandite ore mine and refinery located in Utah that provides feedstock hydroxide for its beryllium businesses and external sale. In addition, it produces advanced chemicals, microelectronics packaging, precious metal, non-precious metal, and specialty metal products, including vapor deposition targets, frame lid assemblies, clad and precious metal pre-forms, high temperature braze materials, and ultra-pure wire. Further, the company designs and produces precision thin film coatings, optical filters, and assemblies. The company sells its products directly from its facilities, as well as through company-owned service centers, outside distributors, agents, direct sales offices, and independent sales representatives. The company was formerly known as Brush Engineered Materials Inc. and changed its name to Materion Corporation in March 2011. Materion Corporation was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.

About Impala Platinum

Impala Platinum Holdings Limited engages in the mining, processing, concentrating, refining, and sale of platinum group metals (PGMs) and associated base metals. The company produces platinum, palladium, rhodium, nickel, and by-products, as well as ruthenium, iridium, and gold. It has operations on the PGM-bearing orebodies, including the Bushveld Complex located in South Africa; and the Great Dyke situated in Zimbabwe, as well as the Canadian Shield. The company markets and sells its products in South Africa, Japan, China, the United States, and Europe. Impala Platinum Holdings Limited was incorporated in 1957 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.