Financial Contrast: UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) versus Park Lawn (OTCMKTS:PRRWF)

Park Lawn (OTCMKTS:PRRWF) and UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) are both consumer cyclical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Park Lawn and UniFirst’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Park Lawn	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
UniFirst	$2.23 billion	1.37	$103.67 million	$6.11	26.88

UniFirst has higher revenue and earnings than Park Lawn.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Park Lawn and UniFirst, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Park Lawn	0	0	1	0	3.00
UniFirst	1	3	0	0	1.75

Park Lawn presently has a consensus target price of $34.31, indicating a potential upside of 193.02%. UniFirst has a consensus target price of $177.75, indicating a potential upside of 8.23%. Given Park Lawn’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Park Lawn is more favorable than UniFirst.

Profitability

This table compares Park Lawn and UniFirst’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Park Lawn	N/A	N/A	N/A
UniFirst	4.92%	6.19%	4.84%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

78.2% of UniFirst shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of UniFirst shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

UniFirst beats Park Lawn on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Park Lawn

Park Lawn Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates cemeteries, crematoriums, and funeral homes in Canada and the United States. The company primarily offers cemetery lots, mausoleum crypts, niches, monuments, caskets, urns, outer burial containers, flowers, online and video tribute, and other merchandise, as well as funeral, cemetery, and cremation services. It also engages in the filing of death certificates and publication of death notices; and body preparation activities. The company was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About UniFirst

UniFirst Corporation provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company operates through U.S. and Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid segments. It designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments. The company also rents and sells industrial wiping products, floor mats, facility service products, and dry and wet mops; restroom and cleaning supplies comprising air fresheners, paper products, gloves, masks, sanitizers, and hand soaps; and other textile products. In addition, it provides first aid cabinet services and other safety supplies; decontaminates and cleans work clothes, and other items that is exposed to radioactive materials; and services special cleanroom protective wear and facilities. Further, it offers a range of garment service options, including full-service rental programs in which garments are cleaned and serviced; lease programs in which garments are cleaned and maintained by individual employees; and purchase programs to buy garments and related items directly. The company serves automobile service centers and dealers, delivery services, food and general merchandise retailers, food processors and service operations, light manufacturers, maintenance facilities, restaurants, service companies, soft and durable goods wholesalers, transportation companies, healthcare providers, government agencies, research and development laboratories, high technology companies, and utilities operating nuclear reactors, as well as others who require employee clothing for image, identification, protection, or utility purposes. UniFirst Corporation was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts.