Lendway (NASDAQ:LDWY) versus Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Critical Review

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Fresh Del Monte Produce and Lendway”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fresh Del Monte Produce	$4.28 billion	0.35	-$11.40 million	$2.97	10.51
Lendway	$31.58 million	0.21	$2.41 million	($1.98)	-1.92

Lendway has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Fresh Del Monte Produce. Lendway is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fresh Del Monte Produce, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Fresh Del Monte Produce has a beta of 0.33, suggesting that its stock price is 67% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lendway has a beta of 1.97, suggesting that its stock price is 97% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Fresh Del Monte Produce and Lendway’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fresh Del Monte Produce	0.36%	5.91%	3.65%
Lendway	N/A	-21.56%	-4.32%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

64.8% of Fresh Del Monte Produce shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.6% of Lendway shares are owned by institutional investors. 30.1% of Fresh Del Monte Produce shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.2% of Lendway shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Fresh Del Monte Produce beats Lendway on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services. The company offers pineapples, fresh-cut fruit, fresh-cut vegetables, melons, and vegetables; non-tropical fruits, such as grapes, apples, citrus, blueberries, strawberries, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and kiwis; other fruit and vegetables, and avocados; and prepared fruit and vegetables, juices, other beverages, and meals and snacks. It also engages in the sale of poultry and meat products; and third-party freight services business. The company offers its products under the Del Monte brand, as well as under other brands, such as UTC, Rosy, Just Juice, Fruitini, Pinkglow, Del Monte Zero, Honeyglow, Rubyglow, Honey Miniglow, Bananinis, Mann, Mann’s Logo, Arcadian Harvest, Nourish Bowls, Broccolini, Caulilini, Better Burger Leaf, Romaleaf, and other regional brands. It markets and distributes its products to retail stores, club stores, convenience stores, wholesalers, distributors, and foodservice operators. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. was founded in 1886 and is based in George Town, Cayman Islands.

About Lendway

Lendway, Inc. operates as a specialty agricultural and finance company focusing on making and managing its agricultural investments in the United States and internationally. It owns and operates FarmlandCredit.com, a non-bank lending business that seeks to purchase existing loans and/or originate and fund new loans domestically. The company was formerly known as Insignia Systems, Inc. and changed its name to Lendway, Inc. in August 2023. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.