Financial Analysis: K+S Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:KPLUY) vs. Yara International ASA (OTCMKTS:YARIY)

K+S Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:KPLUY) and Yara International ASA (OTCMKTS:YARIY) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Dividends

K+S Aktiengesellschaft pays an annual dividend of $0.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Yara International ASA pays an annual dividend of $2.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 14.4%. K+S Aktiengesellschaft pays out 8.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Yara International ASA pays out 2,140.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of K+S Aktiengesellschaft shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Yara International ASA shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares K+S Aktiengesellschaft and Yara International ASA’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
K+S Aktiengesellschaft	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.97	7.56
Yara International ASA	$15.55 billion	0.49	$48.00 million	$0.10	148.80

Yara International ASA has higher revenue and earnings than K+S Aktiengesellschaft. K+S Aktiengesellschaft is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Yara International ASA, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares K+S Aktiengesellschaft and Yara International ASA’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
K+S Aktiengesellschaft	N/A	N/A	N/A
Yara International ASA	0.32%	3.67%	1.71%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for K+S Aktiengesellschaft and Yara International ASA, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
K+S Aktiengesellschaft	0	1	2	0	2.67
Yara International ASA	0	0	0	0	N/A

Summary

Yara International ASA beats K+S Aktiengesellschaft on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About K+S Aktiengesellschaft

K+S Aktiengesellschaft, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a supplier of mineral products for the agricultural, industrial, consumer, and community sectors worldwide. It offers potassium chloride for crops, such as grain, corn, rice, and soybean; fertilizer specialties that are used for crops with magnesium and sulfur requirements, including rapeseed and potatoes, as well as for chloride-sensitive crops consisting of citrus, grapes, and vegetables; and water-soluble fertilizers for use in fertigation of fruit and vegetables under the KALISOP, KORN-KALI, ROLL-KALI, PATENTKALI, ESTA KIESERIT, MAGNESIA-KAINIT, SOLUMOP, SOLUSOP, SOLUCMS, SOLUMAP, SOLUMKP, EPSO TOP, EPSO MICROTOP, EPSO COMBITOP, EPSO PROFITOP, and EPSO BORTOP brands. The company also provides melting salts, sodium chloride, natural rock salt, high-purity vaccum salt and natural sea salt, potassium chloride, Epsom salt, minerals for pets and livestock, aluminum recycling, salt licks for farm and wild animals under the Alasal, APISAL, AXAL PRO, NUTRIKS, NUTRIKS KaliSel, KASA, k-DRILL, Montanal, and SOLSEL brand names. In addition, it offers table salts under the SALDORO, Cérébos, and Vatel brands; salts for water treatment; dishwashing salts; and de-icing salts. K+S Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Kassel, Germany.

About Yara International ASA

Yara International ASA provides crop nutrition and industrial solutions in Norway, European Union, Europe, Africa, Asia, North and Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. The company offers ammonium- and urea-based fertilizers; compound fertilizers that contain nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; coatings; biostimulants; organic-based fertilizers; green fertilizers are nitrate-based mineral fertilizers, as well as foliar and fertigation solutions; and nitrate, calcium nitrate, micronutrient, and fertigation and urea fertilizers. It also offers digital solutions, such as variable rate application solutions; N-Sensor, a tractor-mounted hardware; N-Tester, a handheld nitrogen measurement tool; YaraFX Insight, an agricultural API; and Atfarm, a digital toolbox for farmer. The company sells its products under YaraBela, YaraMila, YaraLiva, YaraVita, YaraRega, YaraTera, YaraSuna, and YaraVera and brands. Yara International ASA was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.