ANDERSONS, INC. vs ASHLAND INC., two Wholesale stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where ANDE and ASH diverge most: on net margin, ANDE reads 1.2% and ASH reads -39.1%; on return on equity, ANDE reads 9.8% and ASH reads -37.9%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What ASH's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | ANDE | ASH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $77.68 | $66.34 |
| Market cap | $2.7B | $3.1B |
| Sector | Wholesale | Wholesale |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/B | 2.03 | 1.64 |
| P/S | 0.24 | 1.69 |
| EV/EBITDA | 29.6 | 12.2 |
| Revenue growth | -1.4% | -6.8% |
| Gross margin | 6.1% | 30.5% |
| Operating margin | — | 8.1% |
| Net margin | 1.2% | -39.1% |
| Return on equity | 9.8% | -37.9% |
| Return on assets | 3.3% | -15.7% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 2.7% |
| FCF yield | -4.0% | -6.3% |
| Dividend yield | 1.0% | 2.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.98 | 0.74 |
| Current ratio | 1.37 | 3.06 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.00 | 6.65 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.