Reviewing American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) & Installed Building Products (NYSE:IBP)

American Biltrite (OTCMKTS:ABLT) and Installed Building Products (NYSE:IBP) are both construction companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for American Biltrite and Installed Building Products, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Biltrite	0	0	0	0	0.00
Installed Building Products	2	7	3	0	2.08

Installed Building Products has a consensus target price of $213.90, suggesting a potential downside of 16.70%. Given Installed Building Products’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Installed Building Products is more favorable than American Biltrite.

Profitability

This table compares American Biltrite and Installed Building Products’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Biltrite	-1.40%	-10.96%	-2.20%
Installed Building Products	8.45%	60.27%	13.91%

Risk and Volatility

American Biltrite has a beta of -0.15, indicating that its stock price is 115% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Installed Building Products has a beta of 1.73, indicating that its stock price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

99.6% of Installed Building Products shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.2% of Installed Building Products shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares American Biltrite and Installed Building Products”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Biltrite	$188.74 million	0.01	-$2.64 million	($81.67)	-0.98
Installed Building Products	$2.94 billion	2.39	$256.60 million	$8.77	29.28

Installed Building Products has higher revenue and earnings than American Biltrite. American Biltrite is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Installed Building Products, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Installed Building Products beats American Biltrite on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Biltrite

American Biltrite Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides tape, jewelry, flooring, and rubber products worldwide. The company produces and offers pressure sensitive tapes, films, and protective sheeting under the American Biltrite and Ideal brands, which are used in various markets, such as automotive and transportation; construction; shoe/footwear; graphic arts, print, and signage; and various other industrial and consumer applications. It also manufactures and distributes commercial flooring primarily for healthcare, educational, and institutional sectors; and performance sheet rubber in North America, as well as designs and supplies fashion jewelry to department stores under the brands of Guess, T Tahari, Robert Rose, Berry, and Jessica McClintock. The company sells its tape products through sales organizations, distributors, and select manufacturers’ representatives. American Biltrite Inc. was founded in 1908 and is based in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.

About Installed Building Products

Installed Building Products, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the installation of insulation, waterproofing, fire-stopping, fireproofing, garage doors, rain gutters, window blinds, shower doors, closet shelving and mirrors, and other products in the United States. It operates through Installation, Distribution, and Manufacturing operation segments. The company offers a range of insulation materials, such as fiberglass and cellulose, and spray foam insulation materials. It is also involved in the installation of insulation and sealant materials in various areas of a structure, which includes basement and crawl space, building envelope, attic, and acoustical applications. In addition, the company installs a range of caulk and sealant products that control air infiltration in residential and commercial buildings; and waterproofing options, including sheet and hot applied waterproofing membranes, as well as deck coating, bentonite, and air and vapor systems. Further, it distributes spray foam insulation, metal building insulation, residential insulation, and mechanical and fabricated Styrofoam insulation, as well as accessories and equipment used in the insulation installation process; and manufactures cellulose insulation and specialty industrial fibers. It serves homebuilders, multi-family and commercial and agricultural construction firms, individual homeowners, and repair and remodeling contractors. The company was formerly known as CCIB Holdco, Inc. Installed Building Products, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.