Dole (NYSE:DOLE – Get Free Report) and Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. (NASDAQ:CRESY – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.
Profitability
This table compares Dole and Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Dole | 0.28% | 8.17% | 2.62% |
| Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. | 10.57% | 4.65% | 1.99% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Dole and Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A.”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Dole | $8.97 billion | 0.15 | $125.51 million | $0.15 | 91.17 |
| Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. | $962.99 billion | 0.00 | $96.15 million | $2.28 | 5.08 |
Dole has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A.. Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Dole, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Dividends
Dole pays an annual dividend of $0.34 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. pays an annual dividend of $0.59 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.1%. Dole pays out 226.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. pays out 25.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Dole has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Volatility & Risk
Dole has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. has a beta of 1.07, suggesting that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings for Dole and Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A., as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Dole | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Dole presently has a consensus target price of $16.00, suggesting a potential upside of 17.00%. Given Dole’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Dole is more favorable than Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A..
Insider & Institutional Ownership
12.9% of Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. shares are held by institutional investors. 41.8% of Dole shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 36.2% of Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
Dole beats Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Dole
Dole Food Company, Inc. (Dole) is a producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. The Company is a producer of bananas and pineapples, and packaged fruit products, packaged salads and fresh-packed vegetables. The Company has three business segments: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and packaged foods. The fresh fruit segment contains operating divisions that produce and market fresh fruit to wholesale, retail and institutional customers worldwide. The fresh vegetables segment produces and markets fresh-packed and value-added vegetables and salads to wholesale, retail and institutional customers, primarily in North America and Europe. The packaged foods segment contains several operating divisions that produce and market packaged foods, including fruit, juices, frozen fruit and healthy snack foods. In November 2013, Dole Food Company, Inc announced that an investor group acquired the remaining 60.43% interest in the Company.
About Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A.
Cresud Sociedad Anónima, Comercial, Inmobiliaria, Financiera y Agropecuaria, an agricultural company, engages in the production of agricultural commodities in Brazil and other Latin American countries. The company operates through Agricultural Business, and Business Urban Properties and Investments segments. It is also involved in the management, development, and ownership of shopping malls, office buildings, and hotels; sale of grain derivatives, such as flour and oil; production and sale of crops, such as soybean, sugarcane, wheat, corn, oilseed, and sunflower, as well as sorghum and peanuts; and breeding, purchasing, and/or fattening of cattle for sale to slaughterhouses and supermarkets. In addition, it leases its farms to third parties for agriculture, cattle breeding, and seed production; and offers agricultural services. The company was incorporated in 1936 and is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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