Reviewing Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH) & Exp World (NASDAQ:AGNT)

Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH) and Exp World (NASDAQ:AGNT) are both real estate companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Howard Hughes and Exp World’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Howard Hughes	12.31%	7.51%	2.41%
Exp World	-0.35%	-5.43%	-2.89%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Howard Hughes and Exp World”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Howard Hughes	$1.47 billion	2.84	$123.90 million	$4.94	14.19
Exp World	$4.77 billion	0.13	-$22.71 million	($0.11)	-35.55

Howard Hughes has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Exp World. Exp World is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Howard Hughes, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Howard Hughes has a beta of 1.14, indicating that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Exp World has a beta of 2.06, indicating that its stock price is 106% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Howard Hughes and Exp World, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Howard Hughes	0	2	1	1	2.75
Exp World	2	2	2	0	2.00

Howard Hughes currently has a consensus target price of $81.00, suggesting a potential upside of 15.56%. Exp World has a consensus target price of $5.38, suggesting a potential upside of 37.47%. Given Exp World’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Exp World is more favorable than Howard Hughes.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

93.8% of Howard Hughes shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.2% of Exp World shares are held by institutional investors. 47.7% of Howard Hughes shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 26.6% of Exp World shares are held by company 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

Howard Hughes beats Exp World on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate development company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists of developed or acquired retail, office, and multi-family properties along with other retail investments. Its MPCs segment develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial land designated for long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona. The Seaport segment is involved in the landlord operations, managed businesses, and events and sponsorships services of its restaurant, retail, and entertain properties in Pier 17, New York City; Historic Area/Uplands; and Tin Building, as well as in 250 Water Street and in the Jean-Georges restaurants. The Strategic Development segment develops and redevelops residential condominiums and commercial properties. It serves homebuilders. Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

About Exp World

eXp World Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud-based real estate brokerage services for residential homeowners and homebuyers. The company operates through North American Realty, International Realty, Virbela, and Other Affiliated Services segments. It provides Virbela, a cloud-based technologies that provides data, lead generation, and marketing tools for real estate agents and employees. In addition, the company offers SUCCESS print magazine, SUCCESS.com portal, SUCCESS newsletters, SUCCESS podcasts, SUCCESS plus, SUCCESS speakers bureau, and SUCCESS coaching, podcasts, and digital training courses. It operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, Mexico, Portugal, France, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, Colombia, Spain, Israel, Panama, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Greece, New Zealand, Chile, and Poland. The company was formerly known as eXp Realty International Corporation and changed its name to eXp World Holdings, Inc. in May 2016. eXp World Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Bellingham, Washington.