Arq, Inc. ARQ

Competitive advantage analysis · industrials

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
44/100
Developing

Ranked against 19 peers in Pollution & Treatment Controls

About Arq, Inc.

Arq, Inc., an environmental technology company, engages in the sale of consumable air, water, and soil treatment solutions based on activated carbon in the United States and Canada. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products … Full ARQ analysis →

Key strengths

  • Operating Leverage in Effect Operating leverage is evident (score 0.92), with margins expanding over time.

Key risks

  • ROIC Below WACC or Peers ROIC at 0th percentile suggests inefficient capital deployment.
  • Elevated Debt Risk Debt serviceability is weak (score 0.35), raising refinancing risk.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Developing
27
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where ARQ ranks in Pollution & Treatment Controls

Arq, Inc. ranks #11 of 20 scored companies in Pollution & Treatment Controls by moat score — the top 55%. The widest moat in the group is Veralto Corp (VLTO) at 82/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
7 Euro Tech Holdings Company Limi CLWT 53/100 Moderate
8 Fuel Tech, Inc. FTEK 51/100 Moderate
9 Rain Enhancement Technologies H RAINW 49/100 Developing
10 LiqTech International, Inc. LIQT 45/100 Developing
11 Arq, Inc. ARQ 44/100 Developing
12 ClearSign Technologies Corporat CLIR 38/100 Developing
13 TOMI Environmental Solutions, I TOMZ 34/100 Developing
14 PureCycle Technologies, Inc. PCTTW 31/100 Developing
15 PureCycle Technologies, Inc. PCT 30/100 Developing

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How ARQ scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 27 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 61 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 51 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 33 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 32 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 78 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding ARQ's moat

What is Arq, Inc.'s moat score?

Arq, Inc. (ARQ) scores 44 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #11 of 20 scored companies in Pollution & Treatment Controls, the top 55%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 19 companies in Pollution & Treatment Controls. Its strongest defense is Scale & Market Position (78/100) and its weakest is Pricing Power (27/100).

How does Arq, Inc. compare with other Pollution & Treatment Controls companies?

Arq, Inc. ranks #11 of 20 scored companies in Pollution & Treatment Controls by moat score. The widest moat in Pollution & Treatment Controls is Veralto Corp (VLTO) at 82/100. The companies ranked closest are LiqTech International, Inc. (LIQT) at 44 just above it and ClearSign Technologies Corporat (CLIR) at 38 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 19 companies in Pollution & Treatment Controls. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Arq, Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Arq, Inc.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and ARQ scores: Pricing Power (27), Cost Advantage (61), Customer Stickiness (51), Capital Efficiency (33), Resilience (32), Scale & Market Position (78). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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