Head-To-Head Comparison: ARQ (ARQ) vs. Its Rivals

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) is one of 18 publicly-traded companies in the “Miscellaneous chemical products” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare ARQ to related companies based on the strength of its risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.8% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies are held by institutional investors. 22.2% of ARQ shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.6% of shares of all “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies 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.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-12.35%	-8.35%	-6.16%
ARQ Competitors	2.00%	19.11%	4.62%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares ARQ and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	-$12.25 million	-13.22
ARQ Competitors	$1.13 billion	$44.23 million	13.14

ARQ’s peers have higher revenue and earnings than ARQ. ARQ is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Volatility and Risk

ARQ has a beta of 1.44, suggesting that its share price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARQ’s peers have a beta of 2.69, suggesting that their average share price is 169% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for ARQ and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	0	0	N/A
ARQ Competitors	43	370	337	9	2.41

As a group, “Miscellaneous chemical products” companies have a potential upside of 24.83%. Given ARQ’s peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe ARQ has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Summary

ARQ peers beat ARQ on 9 of the 10 factors compared.

About ARQ

Arq, Inc. produces activated carbon products in North America. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered and granular activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products are used in various applications, including water treatment, ground water remediation, soil sediments, air emissions, and asphalt additives. The company was formerly known as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Arq, Inc. in February 2024. Arq, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.