Critical Survey: Gold.com (NYSE:GOLD) vs. Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) and Gold.com (NYSE:GOLD) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Risk & Volatility

Willis Lease Finance has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Gold.com has a beta of 0.54, meaning that its share price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Willis Lease Finance and Gold.com”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Willis Lease Finance	$765.37 million	1.47	$113.76 million	$3.99	13.33
Gold.com	$10.98 billion	0.12	$17.32 million	$2.92	15.35

Willis Lease Finance has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Gold.com. Willis Lease Finance is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Gold.com, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Willis Lease Finance and Gold.com’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Willis Lease Finance	11.80%	14.11%	2.64%
Gold.com	0.35%	17.82%	4.21%

Dividends

Willis Lease Finance pays an annual dividend of $0.53 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Gold.com pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Willis Lease Finance pays out 13.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Gold.com pays out 27.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Willis Lease Finance and Gold.com, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Willis Lease Finance	0	1	0	1	3.00
Gold.com	0	2	4	0	2.67

Willis Lease Finance currently has a consensus target price of $71.00, indicating a potential upside of 33.51%. Gold.com has a consensus target price of $59.75, indicating a potential upside of 33.34%. Given Willis Lease Finance’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Willis Lease Finance is more favorable than Gold.com.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

93.7% of Willis Lease Finance shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.9% of Gold.com shares are held by institutional investors. 53.3% of Willis Lease Finance shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 23.1% of Gold.com shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Willis Lease Finance beats Gold.com on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses. The Spare Parts Sales segment purchases and resells after-market engine parts, whole engines, engine modules, and portable aircraft components. The company also focuses on engine management and consulting business. It serves commercial aircraft operators, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul organizations. As of December 31, 2023, it had a total lease portfolio of 337 engines, 12 aircraft, one marine vessel, and other leased parts and equipment, and with 74 lessees in 42 countries; and managed a total lease portfolio of 198 engines, aircraft, and related equipment for other parties. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida.

About Gold.com

A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a precious metals trading company. It operates in three segments: Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services, Direct-to-Consumer, and Secured Lending. The Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services segment sells gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in the form of bars, plates, powders, wafers, grains, ingots, and coins. This segment also offers various ancillary services, including financing, storage, consignment, logistics, and various customized financial programs; and designs and produces minted silver products. The Direct-to-Consumer segment provides access to an array of gold, silver, copper, platinum, and palladium products through its websites and marketplaces. It operates five company-owned websites targeting specific niches within the precious metals retail market. This segment also operates as a direct retailer of precious metals to the investor community and markets its precious metal products on television, radio, and the internet, as well as through customer service outreach. The Secured Lending segment originates and acquires commercial loans secured by bullion and numismatic coins; and serves coin and precious metal dealers, investors, and collectors. The company serves customers, including financial institutions, bullion retailers, industrial manufacturers and fabricators, sovereign mints, refiners, coin and metal dealers, investors, collectors, and e-commerce and other retail customers. It has operations in the United States, rest of North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Africa, and Australia. A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in El Segundo, California.