Critical Comparison: Daiwa Securities Group (OTCMKTS:DSEEY) versus Aspen Pharmacare (OTCMKTS:APNHY)

Daiwa Securities Group (OTCMKTS:DSEEY) and Aspen Pharmacare (OTCMKTS:APNHY) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Daiwa Securities Group has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aspen Pharmacare has a beta of 1.23, meaning that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Daiwa Securities Group pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Aspen Pharmacare pays an annual dividend of $0.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Daiwa Securities Group pays out 35.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Daiwa Securities Group and Aspen Pharmacare, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Daiwa Securities Group	0	0	0	0	N/A
Aspen Pharmacare	0	0	0	0	N/A

Profitability

This table compares Daiwa Securities Group and Aspen Pharmacare’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Daiwa Securities Group	8.21%	5.62%	0.33%
Aspen Pharmacare	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Daiwa Securities Group and Aspen Pharmacare’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Daiwa Securities Group	$6.41 billion	1.73	$472.67 million	$0.48	14.69
Aspen Pharmacare	$2.30 billion	2.17	$294.86 million	N/A	N/A

Daiwa Securities Group has higher revenue and earnings than Aspen Pharmacare.

Summary

Daiwa Securities Group beats Aspen Pharmacare on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Daiwa Securities Group

Daiwa Securities Group Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily operates as a securities broker-dealer in Japan and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Wholesale, Asset Management, and Investment. The Retail segment offers products and services related to asset management, including equities, bonds, investment trusts, wrap account services, insurance, banking services, inheritance-related services, etc. for individual investors and unlisted companies. The Wholesale segment offers sales and trading services of equities and bonds, as well as of foreign exchange and derivative products primarily for institutional investors and corporations; and investment banking services, such as underwriting of securities, M&A advisory, etc. The Asset Management segment structures and manages investment trusts primarily for individual investors and financial institutions; provides investment advisory services; and manages assets. The Investment segment invests in monetary claims, loans, private equities, and real estate properties, as well as energy, infrastructure, and resource sectors. The company also offers research and consulting, and information services, as well as engages in the office work activities. In addition, it is involved in the securities-related, investment advisory and agency, and investment management businesses, as well as lending and borrowing of real estate properties. The company was formerly known as Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd. and changed its name to Daiwa Securities Group Inc. in 1999. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Aspen Pharmacare

Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and supplies specialty and branded pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in Commercial Pharmaceuticals and Manufacturing segments. The company provides general anesthetics, muscle relaxants, and topical agents under the Anaesthetics brand; and a range of injectable anticoagulants with a focus on low molecular weight heparins, Xa inhibitors, and heparin derivatives under the Thrombosis brand. It also offers branded consumer, prescription, and over-the-counter products under the regional brands, such as Circadin, Foxair, Maltofer, Mybulen, and Zyloric for various types of anesthetic comprises sleeping aid, respiratory, iron supplement, analgesic, and uric acid production inhibitor. In addition, the company manufactures and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dose form products to third-party customers. Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in Durban, South Africa.