The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) versus Associated British Foods (OTCMKTS:ASBFY) Critical Comparison

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) and Associated British Foods (OTCMKTS:ASBFY) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

97.0% of The Hain Celestial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of The Hain Celestial Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares The Hain Celestial Group and Associated British Foods”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
The Hain Celestial Group	$1.56 billion	0.05	-$530.84 million	($6.06)	-0.15
Associated British Foods	$25.41 billion	0.70	$1.34 billion	N/A	N/A

Associated British Foods has higher revenue and earnings than The Hain Celestial Group.

Profitability

This table compares The Hain Celestial Group and Associated British Foods’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
The Hain Celestial Group	-36.12%	-1.15%	-0.34%
Associated British Foods	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

The Hain Celestial Group has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Associated British Foods has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for The Hain Celestial Group and Associated British Foods, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
The Hain Celestial Group	2	9	1	0	1.92
Associated British Foods	3	2	0	1	1.83

The Hain Celestial Group presently has a consensus target price of $1.79, indicating a potential upside of 93.39%. Given The Hain Celestial Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe The Hain Celestial Group is more favorable than Associated British Foods.

Summary

Associated British Foods beats The Hain Celestial Group on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About The Hain Celestial Group

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells organic and natural products in United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and internationally. It operates through two segments: North America and International. The company offers infant formula; infant, toddler, and kids' food; plant-based beverages and frozen desserts, such as soy, rice, oat, and spelt; and condiments. It also provides cooking and culinary oils; cereal bars; fresh and aseptic soups; yogurts; and nut butters. In addition, the company offers hot-eating desserts, refrigerated and frozen plant-based meat-alternative products, jams, fruit spreads, jellies, honey, natural sweeteners, syrups, dessert sauces, and marmalade products, as well as other food products. Further, it provides snack products comprising potato, root vegetable and other exotic vegetable chips, straws, tortilla chips; and personal care products that include hand, skin, hair, and oral care products, as well as deodorants, baby food, sunscreens, and other products under the Alba Botanica, Avalon Organics, Earth's Best, JASON, Live Clean, and Queen Helene brands name. Additionally, the company offers herbal, green, black, wellness, rooibos, and chai tea under the Celestial Seasonings brand. It sells pantry products under the Spectrum, Spectrum Essentials, MaraNatha, Imagine broths, Hain Pure Foods, Health Valley, and Hollywood brands. It sells its products through specialty and natural food distributors, supermarkets, natural food stores, mass-market and e-commerce retailers, food service channels and clubs, and drug and convenience stores. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey.

About Associated British Foods

Associated British Foods plc operates as a diversified food, ingredients, and retail company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Grocery, Ingredients, Agriculture, Sugar, and Retail. The Grocery segment manufactures and sells grocery products, including hot beverages, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, balsamic vinegars, bread and baked goods, cereals, ethnic foods, and meat products to retail, wholesale, and foodservice businesses. The Ingredients segment manufactures bakers' yeast, bakery ingredients, enzymes, lipids, yeast extracts, and cereal specialties. The Agriculture segment manufactures and sells animal feeds; and provides other products and services for the agriculture sector. The Sugar segment is involved in growing, processing, and selling sugar beet and sugar cane to industrial users. The Retail segment is involved in buying and merchandising clothing and accessories through the Primark and Penneys retail chains, which offer women's, men's, and kids wear, as well as beauty, homeware, and accessories. The company was incorporated in 1934 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Associated British Foods plc operates as a subsidiary of Wittington Investments Limited.