Unicharm (OTCMKTS:UNICY) versus Maison Solutions (NASDAQ:MSS) Critical Analysis

Unicharm (OTCMKTS:UNICY) and Maison Solutions (NASDAQ:MSS) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Unicharm and Maison Solutions”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Unicharm	$6.54 billion	1.80	$540.15 million	$0.20	16.84
Maison Solutions	$124.22 million	0.15	$1.17 million	($0.04)	-24.24

Unicharm has higher revenue and earnings than Maison Solutions. Maison Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Unicharm, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Unicharm has a beta of 0.24, meaning that its stock price is 76% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maison Solutions has a beta of 5.06, meaning that its stock price is 406% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Unicharm and Maison Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Unicharm	0	0	0	0	0.00
Maison Solutions	1	0	1	0	2.00

Maison Solutions has a consensus price target of $4.25, indicating a potential upside of 338.42%. Given Maison Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Maison Solutions is more favorable than Unicharm.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

2.4% of Maison Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. 80.5% of Maison Solutions shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Unicharm and Maison Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Unicharm	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maison Solutions	-0.88%	-2.83%	-0.40%

Summary

Unicharm beats Maison Solutions on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Unicharm

Unicharm Corporation engages in the manufacturing and sale of wellness, feminine, baby and children, kirei, and pet care products in Japan and internationally. The company's baby and child care products, including disposable diapers and wipes under the Moony, MamyPoko, Oyasumiman, and Torepanman brands; feminine care products comprise napkins, tampons, panty liners, sanitary short, panty liners, and other feminine care products under the Sofy, Center-In, and Unicharm brand names; and wellness care products include napkin-type incontinence pads, pants-type diapers, tape-type diapers, pants-type specialized urine pads, and tape-type specialized urine pads under the Lifree and Charmnap brand. It also provides masks under the Unicharm brand; home care products, including cleaning sheets under the Wave brand name; cosmetic cotton and wet wipes under the Silcot brand; and paper towels under the Cook Up brand name. In addition, the company offers pet care products that include pet foods, excrement cleanup sheets, system toilets, and disposable diapers under the Grand Deli, Best Balance, Physicalife Dog, Silver Plate, Aiken Genki, Manner Wear, Deo Sheet, Silver Spoon, AllWell, Physicalife Cat, Deo Toilet, Deo Sand, Deo Clean, and Neko Genki brands; and deodorizing beads. Further, it is involved in the manufacture and sale of industrial materials related products, etc., as well as food-packaging materials. Unicharm Corporation was incorporated in 1941 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

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.