Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO – Get Free Report) and Maison Solutions (NASDAQ:MSS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.
Volatility & Risk
Alto Ingredients has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maison Solutions has a beta of 5.24, indicating that its share price is 424% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
42.4% of Alto Ingredients shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.4% of Maison Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 5.3% of Alto Ingredients shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 64.7% of Maison Solutions shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation & Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Alto Ingredients | $917.93 million | 0.41 | $13.34 million | $0.16 | 30.25 |
| Maison Solutions | $124.22 million | 0.04 | $1.17 million | ($0.53) | -0.27 |
Alto Ingredients has higher revenue and earnings than Maison Solutions. Maison Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alto Ingredients, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Alto Ingredients and Maison Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Alto Ingredients | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Maison Solutions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Maison Solutions has a consensus target price of $4.50, suggesting a potential upside of 3,009.88%. Given Maison Solutions’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Maison Solutions is more favorable than Alto Ingredients.
Profitability
This table compares Alto Ingredients and Maison Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Alto Ingredients | 1.45% | 2.99% | 1.69% |
| Maison Solutions | -10.56% | -93.48% | -12.74% |
Summary
Alto Ingredients beats Maison Solutions on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Alto Ingredients
Alto Ingredients, Inc. produces, distributes, and markets specialty alcohols, renewable fuel, and essential ingredients in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Marketing and Distribution, Pekin Campus Production, and Western Production. It offers specialty alcohols used in mouthwash, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and cleaners for health, home, and beauty markets; grain neutral spirits used in alcoholic beverages and vinegar, as well as corn germ used in corn oils in the food and beverage markets; alcohols and other products for paint applications and fertilizers in the industrial and agriculture markets; and essential ingredients include dried yeast, corn protein meal, corn protein feed, distiller's grains, and liquid feed for commercial animal feed and pet food applications, as well as yeast for human consumption. The company also provides fuel-grade ethanol used as transportation fuel and distillers corn oil used as a biodiesel feedstock, as well as fuel-grade ethanol produced by third parties. In addition, it offers transportation, storage, and delivery services through third-party service providers. The company sells ethanol to integrated oil companies and gasoline marketers; essential ingredient feed products to dairies and feedlots; and corn oil to poultry, renewable diesel, and biodiesel customers. It operates alcohol production facilities. The company was formerly known as Pacific Ethanol, Inc. and changed its name to Alto Ingredients, Inc. in January 2021. Alto Ingredients, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Pekin, Illinois.
About Maison Solutions
Maison Solutions Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as the specialty grocery retailer in California. The company offers perishable products, such as meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit; non-perishable products, including grocery products comprising cooking utensils, canned foods, Chinese and Asian seasonings and spices, and snacks, as well as liquor, cigarette, lottery, newspaper, reusable bag, non-food, and health products, and general merchandise, beauty care, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services in its stores. It also offers its products online. The company was formerly known as Maison International, Inc. and changed its name to Maison Solutions Inc. in September 2021. Maison Solutions Inc. was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Monterey Park, California.
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