Reviewing Forward Industries (NASDAQ:FORD) and Hugo Boss (OTCMKTS:BOSSY)

Forward Industries (NASDAQ:FORD) and Hugo Boss (OTCMKTS:BOSSY) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Forward Industries and Hugo Boss, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Forward Industries	1	0	0	0	1.00
Hugo Boss	0	1	0	0	2.00

Profitability

This table compares Forward Industries and Hugo Boss’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Forward Industries	-14.52%	-1,522.78%	-44.33%
Hugo Boss	5.15%	15.57%	6.00%

Risk & Volatility

Forward Industries has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hugo Boss has a beta of 0.85, meaning that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Forward Industries and Hugo Boss”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Forward Industries	$25.19 million	34.87	-$1.95 million	($4.46)	-2.32
Hugo Boss	$4.66 billion	0.64	$230.99 million	$0.72	11.94

Hugo Boss has higher revenue and earnings than Forward Industries. Forward Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hugo Boss, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Hugo Boss beats Forward Industries on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Forward Industries

Forward Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sources, markets, and distributes carry and protective solutions. The company operates in two segments: OEM Distribution and Design. The OEM Distribution segment sources and distributes carrying cases and other accessories for medical monitoring and diagnostic kits; and various other portable electronic and non-electronic products, such as sporting and recreational products, bar code scanners, GPS location devices, tablets, and firearms. The Design segment provides hardware and software product design and engineering services. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers in the United States, China, Germany, Poland, and internationally. Forward Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1961 and is based in Hauppauge, New York.

About Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides apparels, shoes, and accessories for men and women worldwide. It also offers licensed products comprising of fragrances, eyewear, watches, children’s fashion, equestrian, and cycling. The company markets and sells its products under the BOSS and HUGO brand names through freestanding stores, shop-in-shops, factory outlets, multi-brand stores, and franchise business, as well as online retailers, distribution, and stores. Hugo Boss AG was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Metzingen, Germany.