Critical Comparison: Exp World (NASDAQ:AGNT) and Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH)

Exp World (NASDAQ:AGNT) and Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH) are both real estate companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Exp World has a beta of 2.06, meaning that its stock price is 106% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Howard Hughes has a beta of 1.14, meaning that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Exp World and Howard Hughes”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Exp World	$4.77 billion	0.14	-$22.71 million	($0.11)	-35.91
Howard Hughes	$1.47 billion	2.78	$123.90 million	$4.94	13.92

Howard Hughes has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Exp World. Exp World is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Howard Hughes, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

27.2% of Exp World shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.8% of Howard Hughes shares are owned by institutional investors. 26.6% of Exp World shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 47.7% of Howard Hughes shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Exp World and Howard Hughes, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Exp World	2	2	2	0	2.00
Howard Hughes	0	2	1	1	2.75

Exp World presently has a consensus price target of $5.38, indicating a potential upside of 36.08%. Howard Hughes has a consensus price target of $81.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.78%. Given Exp World’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Exp World is more favorable than Howard Hughes.

Profitability

This table compares Exp World and Howard Hughes’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Exp World	-0.35%	-5.43%	-2.89%
Howard Hughes	12.31%	7.51%	2.41%

Summary

Howard Hughes beats Exp World on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Exp World

eXp World Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud-based real estate brokerage services for residential homeowners and homebuyers. The company operates through North American Realty, International Realty, Virbela, and Other Affiliated Services segments. It provides Virbela, a cloud-based technologies that provides data, lead generation, and marketing tools for real estate agents and employees. In addition, the company offers SUCCESS print magazine, SUCCESS.com portal, SUCCESS newsletters, SUCCESS podcasts, SUCCESS plus, SUCCESS speakers bureau, and SUCCESS coaching, podcasts, and digital training courses. It operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, Mexico, Portugal, France, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, Colombia, Spain, Israel, Panama, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Greece, New Zealand, Chile, and Poland. The company was formerly known as eXp Realty International Corporation and changed its name to eXp World Holdings, Inc. in May 2016. eXp World Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Bellingham, Washington.

About Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate development company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists of developed or acquired retail, office, and multi-family properties along with other retail investments. Its MPCs segment develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial land designated for long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona. The Seaport segment is involved in the landlord operations, managed businesses, and events and sponsorships services of its restaurant, retail, and entertain properties in Pier 17, New York City; Historic Area/Uplands; and Tin Building, as well as in 250 Water Street and in the Jean-Georges restaurants. The Strategic Development segment develops and redevelops residential condominiums and commercial properties. It serves homebuilders. Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.