Contrasting Core & Main (CNM) and Its Rivals

Core & Main (NYSE:CNM) is one of 159 publicly-traded companies in the “Trading Companies & Distributors” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Core & Main to related companies based on the strength of its profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Core & Main and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Core & Main	$7.65 billion	$441.00 million	19.50
Core & Main Competitors	$6.43 billion	$364.19 million	24.94

Core & Main has higher revenue and earnings than its peers. Core & Main 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.

Profitability

This table compares Core & Main and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Core & Main	5.87%	26.17%	8.58%
Core & Main Competitors	2.92%	-34.03%	3.55%

Volatility and Risk

Core & Main has a beta of 0.92, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Core & Main’s peers have a beta of 1.28, indicating that their average stock price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Core & Main and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Core & Main	0	5	7	0	2.58
Core & Main Competitors	1410	4871	6701	229	2.44

Core & Main currently has a consensus price target of $56.70, indicating a potential upside of 23.24%. As a group, “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies have a potential upside of 5.12%. Given Core & Main’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Core & Main is more favorable than its peers.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.2% of Core & Main shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.9% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Core & Main shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.7% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Core & Main beats its peers on 9 of the 13 factors compared.

Core & Main Company Profile

Core & Main, Inc. is a specialty distributor focused on water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, and related services. The company provides infrastructure solutions to municipalities, private water companies and professional contractors across municipal, non-residential, and residential end markets, nationwide. The company was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.