Dana (NYSE:DAN) & XPEL (NASDAQ:XPEL) Critical Contrast

Dana (NYSE:DAN) and XPEL (NASDAQ:XPEL) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

96.8% of Dana shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.1% of XPEL shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Dana shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.4% of XPEL shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Dana and XPEL’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Dana	14.55%	4.07%	0.88%
XPEL	10.77%	18.98%	13.56%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Dana and XPEL, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dana	1	3	4	0	2.38
XPEL	0	2	1	1	2.75

Dana presently has a consensus price target of $36.67, suggesting a potential upside of 21.00%. XPEL has a consensus price target of $65.00, suggesting a potential upside of 35.64%. Given XPEL’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe XPEL is more favorable than Dana.

Volatility & Risk

Dana has a beta of 1.99, indicating that its share price is 99% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, XPEL has a beta of 1.09, indicating that its share price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Dana and XPEL”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dana	$7.50 billion	0.43	$85.00 million	$10.05	3.02
XPEL	$476.20 million	2.77	$51.23 million	$1.97	24.32

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

Summary

XPEL beats Dana on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dana

Dana Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides power-conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Light Vehicle Drive Systems, Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems, Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems, and Power Technologies. It offers drive systems, including axles, driveshafts, transmission, and wheel and track drives; motion systems, such as winches, slew drives, and hub drives; and electrodynamic technologies comprised of motors, inverters, software and control systems, battery-management systems, and fuel cell plates. The company also provides sealing solutions, such as gaskets, seals, cam covers, and oil pan modules; thermal-management technologies, including transmission and engine oil cooling, battery and electronics cooling, charge air cooling, and thermal-acoustical protective shielding; and digital solutions that include active and passive system controls, as well as descriptive and predictive analytics. It serves vehicle manufacturers in the global light vehicle, medium/heavy vehicle, and off-highway markets, as well as the stationary industrial market. The company was formerly known as Dana Holding Corporation and changed its name to Dana Incorporated in August 2016. Dana Incorporated was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Maumee, Ohio.

About XPEL

XPEL, Inc. sells, distributes, and installs protective films and coatings worldwide. The company offers automotive surface and paint protection film, headlight protection, and automotive and architectural window films, as well as proprietary DAP software. It also provides pre-cut film products, merchandise and apparel, ceramic coatings, and tools and accessories. In addition, the company offers paint protection kits, car wash products, after-care products, and installation tools through its website. The company sells and distributes its products through independent installers, new car dealerships, third-party distributors, automobile original equipment manufacturers, and company-owned installation centers, as well as through franchisees and online channels. The company serves in the United States, China, Canada, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa, and internationally. XPEL, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.