Comparing Metro (OTCMKTS:MTTWF) and Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO)

Metro (OTCMKTS:MTTWF) and Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, risk and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Metro and Mission Produce, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Metro	0	0	0	0	N/A
Mission Produce	0	1	3	0	2.75

Mission Produce has a consensus target price of $12.38, indicating a potential upside of 0.00%. Given Mission Produce’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Mission Produce is more favorable than Metro.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Metro and Mission Produce’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Metro	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mission Produce	$953.90 million	0.92	-$2.80 million	$0.08	154.69

Metro has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Mission Produce.

Profitability

This table compares Metro and Mission Produce’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Metro	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mission Produce	0.60%	3.98%	2.24%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

63.6% of Mission Produce shares are held by institutional investors. 41.6% of Mission Produce shares are held by 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.

Summary

Mission Produce beats Metro on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Metro

Metro AG operates as a food wholesale company in Germany and internationally. It operates bricks-and-mortar wholesale stores and delivery depots under the METRO, MAKRO, Classic Fine Foods, Pro à Pro, Aviludo, Pro a Pro Spain, Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk, and Rungis Express brand names serving hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, catering companies, canteen operators, small grocery stores, and kiosks in Europe, Russia, and Asia, as well as online marketplace METRO MARKETS. The company also develops digital solutions; and offers food delivery services. In addition, it provides services in the areas of real estate, logistics, information technology, procurement, and advertising. The company was formerly known as METRO Wholesale & Food Specialist AG and changed its name to METRO AG in August 2017. Metro AG was founded in 1964 and is based in Düsseldorf, Germany.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc. engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries. It also provides ripening, bagging, custom packing, logistical management, and quality assurance services. In addition, the company offers merchandising and promotional support, and insights on market trends, and training services. Mission Produce, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Oxnard, California.