Head-To-Head Review: Crane (NYSE:CR) versus NGK Insulators (OTCMKTS:NGKIF)

Crane (NYSE:CR) and NGK Insulators (OTCMKTS:NGKIF) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Crane and NGK Insulators, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Crane	0	2	4	0	2.67
NGK Insulators	0	0	0	0	0.00

Crane currently has a consensus price target of $174.80, indicating a potential upside of 2.09%. Given Crane’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Crane is more favorable than NGK Insulators.

Profitability

This table compares Crane and NGK Insulators’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Crane	13.10%	24.45%	10.14%
NGK Insulators	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

75.1% of Crane shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 21.0% of NGK Insulators shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Crane shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Crane pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. NGK Insulators pays an annual dividend of $19.91 per share and has a dividend yield of 182.1%. Crane pays out 18.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. NGK Insulators pays out 18.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Crane and NGK Insulators”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Crane	$2.13 billion	4.60	$401.10 million	$5.06	33.84
NGK Insulators	N/A	N/A	N/A	$105.69	0.10

Crane has higher revenue and earnings than NGK Insulators. NGK Insulators is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Crane, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Crane beats NGK Insulators on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Crane

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials. The Aerospace & Electronics segment supplies critical components and systems, including original equipment and aftermarket parts for commercial aerospace, as well as the military aerospace, defense, and space markets. This segment also offers pressure sensors for aircraft engine control, aircraft braking systems for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, power conversion solutions for spacecraft, and lubrication systems. The Process Flow Technologies segment provides engineered fluid handling equipment for mission-critical applications. It offers process valves and related products, such as lined pipe, fittings and hoses, air-operated diaphragm and peristaltic pumps, instrumentation and sampling systems, valve positioning and control systems, and valve diagnostic and calibration systems; commercial valves; and pumps and systems. The Engineered Materials segment manufactures fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels and coils for use in the manufacturing of recreational vehicles, as well as in commercial and industrial building applications. This segment sells directly to RV, trailer, and truck manufacturers, as well as through distributors and retailers. The company provides its products and solutions to end markets, including commercial and military aerospace, defense, and space; chemical and pharmaceutical production; water and wastewater; non-residential and municipal construction; energy; and other general industrial and consumer-related applications. The company was formerly known as Crane Holdings, Co. Crane Company was founded in 1855 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

About NGK Insulators

NGK Insulators, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells electric power related equipment in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and others. The company operates through Environment Business, Digital Society Business, and Energy & Industry Business segments. It offers energy storage systems, including NAS batteries; suspension, long rod, station post, hollow, and pin post insulators, as well as hardware for insulator assemblies, and power equipment comprising bushing; HONEYCERAM, a component for exhaust gas purification; diesel particulate filters that eliminates particulates in the exhaust gas emitted from diesel automobiles; and NOx sensors, which measures NOx concentration in motor vehicle exhaust gas. The company also provides metals and mold products, such as beryllium copper products, copper-nickel-tin products, beryllium, molds, and related parts; electronic components, such as piezoelectric micro actuators, high frequency components, and mold-cast ceramics; EnerCera, a chip-type ceramic rechargeable battery; micro-lens for UV-LED; and DCB and AMB substrates for power modules. In addition, it offers ceramics for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including ceramic heaters, electrostatic chucks, and components; and industrial process products, such as heating systems, kiln furniture and refractories, ceramic membranes and separators, glass-lining products, high temperature dust collectors, ceramic and vacuum pumps, radioactive waste treatment equipment, and gas analyzers, as well as C1 home-use water purifiers. Further, the company is also developing capacitance sensors and micro heater. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan.