Kaiser Aluminum vs Scotts Miracle-Gro
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Kaiser Aluminum and Scotts Miracle-Gro side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Scotts Miracle-Gro is the larger business, with $3.4B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $3.4B for Kaiser Aluminum.
- Kaiser Aluminum grew revenue faster (11.5%, against −3.9%).
- Scotts Miracle-Gro kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (10.5% operating margin, against 5.6%).
- Scotts Miracle-Gro turned more of its sales into free cash flow (8.0% FCF margin, against −0.8%).
- Scotts Miracle-Gro earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (13.4%, against 7.7%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s earnings: a P/E of 49.9x against 8.2x for Kaiser Aluminum.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Kaiser Aluminum
KALU
5/10
Revenue growth5-year growthPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Scotts Miracle-Gro
SMG
5/10
Gross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capital
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | KALU FY25 | SMG FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $1.8B | $3.5B |
| Revenue | $3.4B | $3.4B |
| Free cash flow | −$25.5M | $274M |
| Net income | $113M | $145M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 11.5% | −3.9% |
| 5-year growth | 23.5% | −3.8% |
| Share count change | 1.9% | 3.4% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 13.1% | 30.6% |
| Operating margin | 5.6% | 10.5% |
| Net margin | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| FCF margin | −0.8% | 8.0% |
| Return on capital | 7.7% | 13.4% |
| Return on equity | 14.3% | — |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.1B | $2.1B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.4x | 4.8x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $51.3M | $173M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 8.2x | 49.9x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 6 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.