RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ:RIBT) and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (NASDAQ:RMCF) Head-To-Head Comparison

RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ:RIBT) and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (NASDAQ:RMCF) 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 risk, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares RiceBran Technologies and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
RiceBran Technologies	$41.16 million	0.00	-$17.56 million	($0.68)	N/A
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory	$27.24 million	0.29	-$4.56 million	($0.61)	-1.36

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has lower revenue, but higher earnings than RiceBran Technologies. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than RiceBran Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares RiceBran Technologies and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
RiceBran Technologies	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory	-19.84%	-100.52%	-26.22%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for RiceBran Technologies and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
RiceBran Technologies	0	0	0	0	0.00
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory	1	0	0	0	1.00

Given RiceBran Technologies’ higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe RiceBran Technologies is more favorable than Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

2.5% of RiceBran Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.3% of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.0% of RiceBran Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 25.2% of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

RiceBran Technologies has a beta of -1.21, indicating that its share price is 221% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a beta of 0.69, indicating that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

About RiceBran Technologies

RiceBran Technologies, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty ingredient company in the United States and internationally. The company focuses on development, production, and marketing of products derived from traditional and ancient small grains. It also produces products utilizing proprietary processes to deliver improved nutrition, ease of use, and extended shelf-life, while addressing consumer demand for all natural, non-GMO, and organic products. In addition, the company owns and operates grain mill and processing facility to produce barley, oats, and mustard. It markets its products to animal food producers, food manufacturers, mass merchandisers, health food retailers, and other companies for use in their products. The company was formerly known as NutraCea and changed its name to RiceBran Technologies in October 2012. RiceBran Technologies was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Tomball, Texas.

About Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a confectionery franchisor, manufacturer, and retail operator. It operates through Franchising, Manufacturing, Retail Stores, and Other segments. The company produces approximately 400 chocolate candies and other confectionery products, including clusters, caramels, creams, toffees, mints, and truffles; and offers 15 varieties of caramel apples and other products that are prepared in individual stores, as well as provides ice cream, coffee, and other sundries. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Durango, Colorado.