Reviewing HRG Group (HRG) & Maxwell Technologies (MXWL)

HRG Group (NYSE: HRG) and Maxwell Technologies (NASDAQ:MXWL) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

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HRG Group has a beta of 1.48, suggesting that its share price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maxwell Technologies has a beta of 0.31, suggesting that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.6% of HRG Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 53.6% of Maxwell Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of HRG Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.7% of Maxwell Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares HRG Group and Maxwell Technologies’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HRG Group	$5.01 billion	0.50	$106.00 million	N/A	N/A
Maxwell Technologies	$130.37 million	1.54	-$43.12 million	($0.91)	-5.82

HRG Group has higher revenue and earnings than Maxwell Technologies.

Profitability

This table compares HRG Group and Maxwell Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HRG Group	11.05%	-7.35%	-0.56%
Maxwell Technologies	-31.75%	-29.38%	-16.32%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for HRG Group and Maxwell Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HRG Group	0	0	0	0	N/A
Maxwell Technologies	0	1	5	0	2.83

Maxwell Technologies has a consensus target price of $7.00, suggesting a potential upside of 32.08%. Given Maxwell Technologies’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Maxwell Technologies is more favorable than HRG Group.

Summary

HRG Group beats Maxwell Technologies on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

HRG Group Company Profile

HRG Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various branded consumer products. It operates through two segments, Consumer Products; and Corporate and Other. Its product portfolio includes consumer batteries, such as alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries, battery chargers, battery-powered portable lighting products, hearing aid batteries, and other specialty battery products; small appliances comprising small kitchen appliances and home product appliances; and personal care products, such as electric shaving and grooming products, hair care appliances, and accessories. The company's product portfolio also comprises hardware and home improvement products, including residential locksets, door hardware, and plumbing products; pet supplies consisting of aquatics, companion animals, and pet food products; home and garden improvement products, such as outdoor insect and weed control solutions, animal repellents, household pest control solutions, and personal use pesticides for protection from various outdoor nuisance pests; and auto care products, including fuel and oil additives, functional fluids and automotive appearance products, do-it-yourself automotive air conditioner recharge products, and performance chemicals, as well as other refrigerant and oil recharge kits, sealants, and accessories. The company sells its products through retailers, wholesalers and distributors, construction companies, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors, and original equipment manufacturers in approximately 160 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific. The company was formerly known as Harbinger Group Inc. and changed its name to HRG Group, Inc. in March 2015. HRG Group, Inc. was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Maxwell Technologies Company Profile

Maxwell Technologies, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets energy storage and power delivery products worldwide. The company provides ultracapacitor cells, multi-cell packs, modules, and subsystems that provide energy storage and power delivery solutions for applications in automotive, grid energy storage, wind, bus, industrial, and truck industries; and lithium-ion capacitors, which are energy storage devices designed to address various applications in the rail, grid, and industrial markets. It also offers CONDIS high-voltage capacitors, such as grading and coupling capacitors, electric voltage transformers, and metering products that are used to ensure the safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and other applications, including transport, distribution, and measurement of high-voltage electrical energy. In addition, the company provides dry battery electrodes for use in electric vehicles. It markets and sells its products through direct and indirect sales channels to integrators and OEMs for use in a range of end products. The company was formerly known as Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. and changed its name to Maxwell Technologies, Inc. in 1996. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.