Contrasting Compania Cervecerias Unidas (NYSE:CCU) & National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ)

National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) and Compania Cervecerias Unidas (NYSE:CCU) are both mid-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations and risk.

Profitability

This table compares National Beverage and Compania Cervecerias Unidas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
National Beverage	14.81%	32.61%	23.51%
Compania Cervecerias Unidas	3.71%	6.77%	3.06%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for National Beverage and Compania Cervecerias Unidas, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
National Beverage	2	0	0	0	1.00
Compania Cervecerias Unidas	3	1	0	0	1.25

National Beverage presently has a consensus target price of $31.00, indicating a potential downside of 3.58%. Compania Cervecerias Unidas has a consensus target price of $11.50, indicating a potential upside of 5.17%. Given Compania Cervecerias Unidas’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Compania Cervecerias Unidas is more favorable than National Beverage.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares National Beverage and Compania Cervecerias Unidas”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
National Beverage	$1.18 billion	2.55	$183.65 million	$1.86	17.28
Compania Cervecerias Unidas	$3.06 billion	0.66	$128.87 million	$0.62	17.64

National Beverage has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Compania Cervecerias Unidas. National Beverage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Compania Cervecerias Unidas, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

National Beverage has a beta of 0.87, meaning that its share price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Compania Cervecerias Unidas has a beta of 0.49, meaning that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

24.0% of National Beverage shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.1% of Compania Cervecerias Unidas shares are owned by institutional investors. 74.7% of National Beverage shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.4% of Compania Cervecerias Unidas shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

National Beverage beats Compania Cervecerias Unidas on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr. Pure; and carbonated soft drinks under Shasta and Faygo brands. It serves retailers, as well as various smaller up-and-down-the-street accounts through the take-home, convenience, and food-service distribution channels. National Beverage Corp. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

About Compania Cervecerias Unidas

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A. operates as a beverage company in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The company operates through three segments: Chile, International Business, and Wine. It produces and sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer under proprietary and licensed brands, as well as distributes Pernod Ricard products in non-supermarket retail stores. The company also produces and sells non-alcoholic beverages, including carbonated soft drinks, nectars and juices, sports and energy drinks, and ice tea; and mineral, purified, and flavored bottled water, as well as ready-to-mix products with instant powder drinks. In addition, it is involved in the production and distribution of pisco, cocktails, rum, flavored alcoholic beverages, gin, and cider. The company serves small and medium-sized retail outlets; retail establishments, such as restaurants, hotels, and bars; wholesalers; and supermarket chains. It also exports its products to Europe, Latin America, the United States, Canada, Asia, Oceania, and internationally. The company was founded in 1850 and is based in Santiago, Chile. Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A. is a subsidiary of Inversiones y Rentas S.A.