AB SKF (OTCMKTS: SKFRY) and The Timken (NYSE:TKR) are both mid-cap industrial products companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and valuation. 



AB SKF has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, The Timken has a beta of 1.55, meaning that its share price is 55% more volatile than the S&P 500. 





Insider and Institutional Ownership



0.5% of AB SKF shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.5% of The Timken shares are held by institutional investors. 11.1% of The Timken shares are held 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.



Valuation & Earnings

This table compares AB SKF and The Timken’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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



Dividends



AB SKF pays an annual dividend of $0.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. The Timken pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. AB SKF pays out 36.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. The Timken pays out 42.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. The Timken has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years. AB SKF is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.



Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for AB SKF and The Timken, as reported by MarketBeat. 

The Timken has a consensus price target of $51.00, suggesting a potential upside of 4.83%. Given The Timken’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe The Timken is more favorable than AB SKF.



Profitability

This table compares AB SKF and The Timken’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.