Alico (NASDAQ:ALCO) vs. Cadiz (NASDAQ:CDZI) Head-To-Head Comparison

Alico (NASDAQ:ALCO) and Cadiz (NASDAQ:CDZI) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Alico and Cadiz”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alico	$46.64 million	5.32	$6.97 million	($18.43)	-1.76
Cadiz	$9.61 million	25.13	-$31.14 million	($0.55)	-5.36

Alico has higher revenue and earnings than Cadiz. Cadiz is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alico, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Alico and Cadiz, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alico	0	0	0	0	0.00
Cadiz	0	0	1	0	3.00

Cadiz has a consensus target price of $10.00, suggesting a potential upside of 238.98%. Given Cadiz’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Cadiz is more favorable than Alico.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

62.3% of Alico shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Cadiz shares are held by institutional investors. 8.3% of Alico shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Cadiz shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Alico has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cadiz has a beta of 1.75, meaning that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Alico and Cadiz’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alico	-284.75%	-41.08%	-25.79%
Cadiz	-296.15%	-107.34%	-26.54%

About Alico

Alico, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an agribusiness and land management company in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Alico Citrus, and Land Management and Other Operations. The Alico Citrus segment engages in planting, owning, cultivating, and/or managing citrus groves to produce fruit for sale to fresh and processed citrus markets, including activities related to the purchase and resale of fruit and value-added services, which include contracting for the harvesting, marketing, and hauling of citrus. The Land Management and Other Operations segment is involved in the activities related to native plant sales, grazing and hunting leasing, management, and/or conservation of unimproved native pastureland; and activities related to rock mining royalties and other insignificant lines of business, as well as in the activities related to owning and/or leasing improved farmland. The company was incorporated in 1960 and is based in Fort Myers, Florida.

About Cadiz

Cadiz Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides water solutions in the United States. The company operates through Land and Water Resources; and Water Filtration Technology segments. It offers water supply, water storage, water conveyance, and water filtration services. In addition, the company is involved in the cultivation of grain crops and alfalfa, as well as provides water filtration solutions for impaired or contaminated groundwater sources. It serves public water systems, government agencies, and other clients. Cadiz Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in Los Angeles, California.