Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL – Get Free Report) and Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores and Westwood Holdings Group, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Westwood Holdings Group | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
0.2% of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.6% of Westwood Holdings Group shares are held by institutional investors. 17.4% of Westwood Holdings Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | 5.06% | 6.99% | 0.70% |
| Westwood Holdings Group | 7.22% | 8.24% | 6.85% |
Risk and Volatility
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Westwood Holdings Group has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Dividends
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Westwood Holdings Group pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays out 38.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westwood Holdings Group pays out 75.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores and Westwood Holdings Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | $6.76 billion | 0.81 | $344.38 million | $0.36 | 12.78 |
| Westwood Holdings Group | $97.76 million | 1.58 | $7.06 million | $0.79 | 20.68 |
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has higher revenue and earnings than Westwood Holdings Group. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westwood Holdings Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Westwood Holdings Group beats Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. provides a range of financial services and products to public and private sector customers in Colombia and Central America. It offers traditional deposit services and products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and other deposits. The company also provides commercial loans comprising general purpose loans, working capital loans, leases, loans funded by development banks, corporate credit cards, and overdraft loans; consumer loans, such as payroll loans, personal loans, automobile and other vehicle loans, credit cards, overdrafts, leases, and general purpose loans; and microcredit and mortgage loans. In addition, the company offers pension and severance fund management services; investment banking, including services relating to capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance transactions; mobile and online banking services; and bancassurance, insurance, trust, bonded warehousing and brokerage transactions, real estate escrow services, merchandise and document storage and deposit, customs agency, cargo management, surety bond and merchandise distribution services, and payment and collection services. Further, it is involved in equity investments in various sectors, including infrastructure, energy and gas, agribusiness, and hospitality; and treasury operations. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A.
About Westwood Holdings Group
Westwood Holdings Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. The company operates in two segments, Advisory and Trust. The Advisory segment provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments, foundations, individuals, and the Westwood Funds; and investment sub-advisory services to mutual funds, pooled investment vehicles, and its Trust segment. The Trust segment offers trust and custodial services; and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors to institutions and high net worth individuals. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.
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