Contrasting J & J Snack Foods (JJSF) & Its Rivals

J & J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) is one of 328 public companies in the “Food Products” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare J & J Snack Foods to related businesses based on the strength of its dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

J & J Snack Foods has a beta of 0.41, indicating that its share price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, J & J Snack Foods’ peers have a beta of -3.84, indicating that their average share price is 484% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

J & J Snack Foods pays an annual dividend of $3.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. J & J Snack Foods pays out 123.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, “Food Products” companies pay a dividend yield of 12.3% and pay out 29.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. J & J Snack Foods has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years. J & J Snack Foods lags its peers as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares J & J Snack Foods and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
J & J Snack Foods	$1.58 billion	$65.60 million	34.39
J & J Snack Foods Competitors	$15.47 billion	$703.44 million	-2,412.53

J & J Snack Foods’ peers have higher revenue and earnings than J & J Snack Foods. J & J Snack Foods is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for J & J Snack Foods and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
J & J Snack Foods	1	1	2	0	2.25
J & J Snack Foods Competitors	2451	8302	8384	405	2.35

J & J Snack Foods currently has a consensus price target of $110.50, suggesting a potential upside of 23.57%. As a group, “Food Products” companies have a potential upside of 16.45%. Given J & J Snack Foods’ higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe J & J Snack Foods is more favorable than its peers.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

76.0% of J & J Snack Foods shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 39.0% of shares of all “Food Products” companies are held by institutional investors. 20.4% of J & J Snack Foods shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% of shares of all “Food Products” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares J & J Snack Foods and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
J & J Snack Foods	3.23%	8.93%	6.07%
J & J Snack Foods Competitors	-12.87%	-127.95%	-2.08%

Summary

J & J Snack Foods beats its peers on 9 of the 15 factors compared.

J & J Snack Foods Company Profile

J&J Snack Foods Corp. manufactures and markets snack foods and beverages, primarily for food-service operators, retail stores and venues such as stadiums and amusement parks. Its products include soft pretzels, churros, funnel cakes, frozen novelties and frozen beverages. The company sells products under brands including SUPERPRETZEL, ICEE, Luigi’s and The Funnel Cake Factory. Its offerings reach consumers through food-service and retail channels, with its business focused mainly on the United States and also serving customers in other markets.