Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) and Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) Head-To-Head Survey

Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) and Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

93.2% of Trimble shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.8% of Luxfer shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Trimble shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Luxfer shares are owned by 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Trimble and Luxfer, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Trimble	0	2	10	0	2.83
Luxfer	0	1	0	2	3.33

Trimble presently has a consensus price target of $87.33, indicating a potential upside of 72.02%. Given Trimble’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Trimble is more favorable than Luxfer.

Volatility & Risk

Trimble has a beta of 1.38, meaning that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Luxfer has a beta of 1.13, meaning that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Trimble and Luxfer”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Trimble	$3.59 billion	3.30	$424.00 million	$1.90	26.72
Luxfer	$384.60 million	1.28	$7.70 million	$0.22	82.87

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

Profitability

This table compares Trimble and Luxfer’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Trimble	12.38%	11.61%	7.32%
Luxfer	1.56%	12.14%	7.25%

Summary

Trimble beats Luxfer on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Trimble

Trimble Inc. provides technology solutions that enable professionals and field mobile workers to enhance or transform their work processes worldwide. The company's Buildings and Infrastructure segment offers field and office software for project design and visualization; systems to guide and control construction equipment; software for 3D design and data sharing; systems to monitor, track, and manage assets, equipment, and workers; software to share and communicate data; program management solutions for construction owners; 3D conceptual design and modeling software; building information modeling software; enterprise resource planning, project management, and project collaboration solutions; integrated site layout and measurement systems; cost estimating, scheduling, and project controls solutions; and applications for sub-contractors and trades. Its Geospatial segment provides surveying and geospatial products, and geographic information systems. The company's Resources and Utilities segment offers precision agriculture products and services, such as guidance and positioning systems, including autonomous steering systems, automated and variable-rate application and technology systems, and information management solutions; manual and automated navigation guidance for tractors and other farm equipment; solutions to automate application of pesticide and seeding; water solutions; and agricultural software. Its Transportation segment offers solutions for long haul trucking and freight shipper markets; mobility solutions comprising route management, safety and compliance, end-to-end vehicle management, video intelligence, and supply chain communications; and fleet and transportation management systems, analytics, routing, mapping, reporting, and predictive modeling solutions. The company was formerly known as Trimble Navigation Limited and changed its name to Trimble Inc. in October 2016. Trimble Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado.

About Luxfer

Luxfer Holdings PLC, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and supplies high-performance materials, components, and high-pressure gas containment devices for defense and first response, healthcare, transportation, and general industrial applications. The company operates through three segments: Elektron, Gas Cylinders, and graphic Arts. The Elektron segment focuses on specialty materials based primarily on magnesium and zirconium. This segment also provides magnesium alloys for use in aerospace, healthcare, and oil and gas applications; magnesium powders for use in countermeasure flares, as well as heater meals; and zirconium-based materials and oxides used as catalysts and in the manufacture of advanced ceramics, fiber-optic fuel cells, pharmaceuticals, and other performance products. The Gas Cylinders segment manufactures and markets specialized products using carbon composites and aluminum alloys, including pressurized cylinders for use in various applications comprising self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for firefighters, containment of oxygen, and other medical gases for healthcare, alternative fuel vehicles, and general industrial applications. The Graphic Art segments provides magnesium photo-engraving plates, engraving metals, and etching chemicals. This segment also offers magnesium, copper, and zinc photo-engraving plates for graphic arts and luxury packaging; developer solutions; and solid wrought magnesium slab and sheet. Luxfer Holdings PLC has operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Canada, rest of Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.