Head to Head Survey: Macerich (MAC) vs. Its Peers

Macerich (NYSE:MAC) is one of 24 public companies in the “REIT – EQTY TRUST – RETAIL” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Macerich to related businesses based on the strength of its profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk and earnings.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.4% of Macerich shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.3% of shares of all “REIT – EQTY TRUST – RETAIL” companies are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Macerich shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 9.5% of shares of all “REIT – EQTY TRUST – RETAIL” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Macerich and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Macerich	-19.44%	-7.32%	-2.25%
Macerich Competitors	30.04%	11.28%	4.19%

Dividends

Macerich pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Macerich pays out -88.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “REIT – EQTY TRUST – RETAIL” companies pay a dividend yield of 3.4% and pay out 119.7% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Macerich is clearly a better dividend stock than its peers, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Macerich and its peers revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Macerich	$1.01 billion	-$197.15 million	-24.06
Macerich Competitors	$1.57 billion	$468.16 million	34.56

Macerich’s peers have higher revenue and earnings than Macerich. Macerich is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Macerich and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Macerich	3	5	6	0	2.21
Macerich Competitors	374	2182	2319	85	2.43

Macerich presently has a consensus target price of $20.46, suggesting a potential upside of 10.44%. As a group, “REIT – EQTY TRUST – RETAIL” companies have a potential upside of 7.82%. Given Macerich’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Macerich is more favorable than its peers.

Volatility and Risk

Macerich has a beta of 2.17, suggesting that its share price is 117% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Macerich’s peers have a beta of 0.94, suggesting that their average share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Macerich peers beat Macerich on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

Macerich Company Profile

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich’s portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Developing and managing properties that serve as community cornerstones, Macerich currently owns 47 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 44 regional town centers. Macerich is firmly dedicated to advancing environmental goals, social good and sound corporate governance. A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has achieved a #1 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) ranking for the North American retail sector for nine consecutive years (2015-2023).