Comparing TOR Minerals International (OTCMKTS:TORM) and Avient (NYSE:AVNT)

TOR Minerals International (OTCMKTS:TORM) and Avient (NYSE:AVNT) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for TOR Minerals International and Avient, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
TOR Minerals International	0	0	0	0	0.00
Avient	0	3	3	1	2.71

Avient has a consensus price target of $45.60, suggesting a potential upside of 21.21%. Given Avient’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Avient is more favorable than TOR Minerals International.

Volatility & Risk

TOR Minerals International has a beta of -0.03, suggesting that its stock price is 103% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Avient has a beta of 1.4, suggesting that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

95.5% of Avient shares are owned by institutional investors. 42.1% of TOR Minerals International shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Avient shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares TOR Minerals International and Avient”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
TOR Minerals International	$22.41 million	0.19	-$2.61 million	($0.40)	-2.95
Avient	$3.24 billion	1.06	$169.50 million	$1.28	29.39

Avient has higher revenue and earnings than TOR Minerals International. TOR Minerals International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Avient, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares TOR Minerals International and Avient’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
TOR Minerals International	-6.28%	-8.48%	-6.90%
Avient	3.65%	10.57%	4.17%

Summary

Avient beats TOR Minerals International on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About TOR Minerals International

TOR Minerals International, Inc. produces and sells specialty mineral products in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company offers alumina trihydrate and boehmite halogen-free flame retardant and smoke suppressant fillers for plastics, rubber, and specialty applications; and beige and gray colored titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments for use in paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and various other products. It also provides white TiO2, a pigment to add whiteness and opacity to paints and coatings, plastics, and other materials; and engineered fillers for use in plastics, paints, coatings, catalysts, and industrial products. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas.

About Avient

Avient Corporation operates as a formulator of material solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and Asia. It operates in two segments, Color, Additives and Inks; and Specialty Engineered Materials. The Color, Additives and Inks segment offers custom color and additive concentrates in solid and liquid form for thermoplastics, dispersions for thermosets, and specialty inks; custom-formulated liquid system, such as polyester, vinyl, natural rubber and latex, polyurethane, and silicone; and proprietary inks. Its products are used in medical and pharmaceutical devices, food packaging, personal care and cosmetics, transportation, building products, wire and cable, recreational and athletic apparel, construction and filtration, outdoor furniture, healthcare, textiles and appliances, and industrial markets. The Specialty Engineered Materials segment provides specialty polymer formulations, services, and solutions for designers, assemblers, and processors of thermoplastic materials. It sells its products through direct sales personnel, distributors, and commissioned sales agents. The company was formerly known as PolyOne Corporation and changed its name to Avient Corporation in June 2020. Avient Corporation was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio.