Reviewing Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM) & ReTo Eco-Solutions (NASDAQ:RETO)

Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM) and ReTo Eco-Solutions (NASDAQ:RETO) are both construction companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

95.0% of Martin Marietta Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.3% of ReTo Eco-Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Martin Marietta Materials shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.7% of ReTo Eco-Solutions shares are owned by company 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 and Volatility

Martin Marietta Materials has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ReTo Eco-Solutions has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Martin Marietta Materials and ReTo Eco-Solutions”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Martin Marietta Materials	$6.54 billion	5.65	$2.00 billion	$17.36	35.26
ReTo Eco-Solutions	$1.83 million	2.39	-$8.35 million	N/A	N/A

Martin Marietta Materials has higher revenue and earnings than ReTo Eco-Solutions.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Martin Marietta Materials and ReTo Eco-Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Martin Marietta Materials	0	4	12	2	2.89
ReTo Eco-Solutions	0	0	0	0	0.00

Martin Marietta Materials currently has a consensus target price of $615.60, indicating a potential upside of 0.57%. Given Martin Marietta Materials’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Martin Marietta Materials is more favorable than ReTo Eco-Solutions.

Profitability

This table compares Martin Marietta Materials and ReTo Eco-Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Martin Marietta Materials	16.47%	11.88%	6.25%
ReTo Eco-Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Martin Marietta Materials beats ReTo Eco-Solutions on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Martin Marietta Materials

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., a natural resource-based building materials company, supplies aggregates and heavy-side building materials to the construction industry in the United States and internationally. It offers crushed stone, sand, and gravel products; ready mixed concrete and asphalt; paving products and services; and Portland and specialty cement for use in the infrastructure projects, and nonresidential and residential construction markets, as well as in the railroad, agricultural, utility, and environmental industries. The company also produces magnesia-based chemicals products; dolomitic lime primarily to customers for steel production and soil stabilization; and cement treated materials. Its chemical products are used in flame retardants, wastewater treatment, pulp and paper production, and other environmental applications. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

About ReTo Eco-Solutions

ReTo Eco-Solutions, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes construction materials primarily in China. Its products include aggregates, bricks, pavers, and tiles. The company's construction materials are used for water absorption, flood control, and water retention; for gardens, roads, bridges, city squares, retaining walls, and slope construction; for hydraulic ecological projects, such as slope protection and river transformation; and for insulation, decoration, and building walls. It also offers construction materials manufacturing equipment, such as automated production equipment with hydraulic integration in China, South Asia, North America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. In addition, the company undertakes municipal construction projects, including sponge city projects. Further, it offers roadside assistance services, including towing, jump start, tire change, automobile repair services, and other services; and provision of designs, develops, and sells customized software solutions, such as logistics management system, retail management system, fleet management system, and vehicle rental management system. Additionally, the company provides parts, engineering support, consulting, technical advice and service, and other project-related solutions for environmental protection projects. ReTo Eco-Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.