George Weston (OTCMKTS:WNGRF) versus Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Head to Head Comparison

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) and George Weston (OTCMKTS:WNGRF) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends and risk.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

26.8% of Walmart shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of George Weston shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Walmart shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 53.6% of George Weston shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Walmart and George Weston”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Walmart	$713.16 billion	1.29	$21.89 billion	$2.85	40.45
George Weston	$46.17 billion	0.58	$817.33 million	$1.86	38.76

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

Volatility & Risk

Walmart has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, George Weston has a beta of 0.46, meaning that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Walmart and George Weston’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Walmart	3.13%	21.25%	7.60%
George Weston	1.54%	13.96%	3.38%

Dividends

Walmart pays an annual dividend of $0.99 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. George Weston pays an annual dividend of $0.93 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Walmart pays out 34.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. George Weston pays out 50.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Walmart has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Walmart and George Weston, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Walmart	0	5	30	1	2.89
George Weston	0	1	4	0	2.80

Walmart presently has a consensus price target of $138.56, suggesting a potential upside of 20.20%. Given Walmart’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Walmart is more favorable than George Weston.

Summary

Walmart beats George Weston on 16 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications. The company offers grocery and consumables, including dairy, meat, bakery, deli, produce, dry, chilled or frozen packaged foods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, floral, snack foods, candy, other grocery items, health and beauty aids, paper goods, laundry and home care, baby care, pet supplies, and other consumable items; fuel, tobacco and other categories. It is also involved in the provision of health and wellness products covering pharmacy, optical and hearing services, and over-the-counter drugs and other medical products; and home and apparel including home improvement, outdoor living, gardening, furniture, apparel, jewelry, tools and power equipment, housewares, toys, seasonal items, mattresses and tire and battery centers. In addition, the company offers consumer electronics and accessories, software, video games, office supplies, appliances, and third-party gift cards. Further, it operates digital payment platforms; and offers financial services and related products, including money transfers, bill payments, money orders, check cashing, prepaid access, co-branded credit cards, installment lending, and earned wage access. Additionally, the company markets lines of merchandise under private brands, including Allswell, Athletic Works, Equate, and Free Assembly. The company was formerly known as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and changed its name to Walmart Inc. in February 2018. Walmart Inc. was founded in 1945 and is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

About George Weston

George Weston Limited provides food and drug retailing, and financial services in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (Choice Properties). The Loblaw segment provides grocery, pharmacy and healthcare services, health and beauty products, apparel, general merchandise, and financial services. This segment also offers credit card and other banking services, insurance brokerage services, guaranteed investment certificates, and wireless mobile products and services. The Choice Properties segment owns, operates, manages, and develops retail commercial and residential properties, leased to necessity-based tenants, industrial, and mixed-use and residential assets. It markets its products under the Shoppers Drug Mart, Joe Fresh, President’s Choice Bank, no name, Farmer’s Market, T&T, Life Brand, and PC Optimum brands. The company was founded in 1882 and is based in Toronto, Canada. George Weston Limited operates as a subsidiary of Wittington Investments, Limited.