Virco Manufacturing (NASDAQ:VIRC) vs. Sleep Number (NASDAQ:SNBR) Head to Head Comparison

Virco Manufacturing (NASDAQ:VIRC) and Sleep Number (NASDAQ:SNBR) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Virco Manufacturing and Sleep Number’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Virco Manufacturing	7.99%	17.61%	9.63%
Sleep Number	-2.72%	N/A	-4.65%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Virco Manufacturing and Sleep Number”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Virco Manufacturing	$266.24 million	0.47	$21.64 million	$1.26	6.34
Sleep Number	$1.68 billion	0.12	-$20.33 million	($1.82)	-4.88

Virco Manufacturing has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Sleep Number. Sleep Number is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Virco Manufacturing, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Virco Manufacturing and Sleep Number, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Virco Manufacturing	0	0	1	0	3.00
Sleep Number	0	2	0	0	2.00

Virco Manufacturing presently has a consensus target price of $17.00, indicating a potential upside of 112.77%. Sleep Number has a consensus target price of $8.3333, indicating a potential downside of 6.16%. Given Virco Manufacturing’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Virco Manufacturing is more favorable than Sleep Number.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

31.0% of Virco Manufacturing shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.7% of Sleep Number shares are owned by institutional investors. 18.1% of Virco Manufacturing shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 7.5% of Sleep Number shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Virco Manufacturing has a beta of 0.37, suggesting that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sleep Number has a beta of 1.71, suggesting that its stock price is 71% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Virco Manufacturing beats Sleep Number on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Virco Manufacturing

Virco Mfg. Corporation engages in the design, production, and distribution of furniture in the United States and Canada. The company offers seating products, including 4-leg chairs, cantilever chairs, mobile task chairs and lab stools, tablet armchairs, steel-frame and floor rockers, series stools, hard plastic seating, folding and upholstered stack chairs, and plastic stack and upholstered ergonomic chairs. It also provides activity, butcher block, folding, office, technology, and mobile tables; desks and workstations, and instructor media stations and towers; chair desks and combo units, tablet arm and caster units, mobile workstations, student desks, and returns and credenzas; and computer furniture solutions. In addition, the company provides administrative office furniture, including desks, returns, bookcases, and other items, as well as steel storage cabinets, wardrobe tower cabinets, file credenzas, and mobile pedestals; laboratory furniture comprising steel-based science tables, table bases, lab stools, and wood-frame science tables; mobile furniture, such as mobile tables, mobile cabinets, and mobile chairs for school settings and offices; and handling and storage equipment, and stackable storage trucks. It serves public and private educational institutions, charter schools, convention centers and arenas, hospitality providers, government facilities, and places of worship through its sales and support teams, and dealers' network. Virco Mfg. Corporation was incorporated in 1950 and is headquartered in Torrance, California.

About Sleep Number

Sleep Number Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, offers sleep solutions and services in the United States. The company designs, manufactures, markets, retails, and services beds, pillows, sheets, and other bedding products under the Sleep Number name. It also provides smart adjustable bases under the FlextFit brand, and smart beds under the Climate 360 name. The company sells its products directly to consumers through retail, online, phone, chat, and other. The company was formerly known as Select Comfort Corporation and changed its name to Sleep Number Corporation in November 2017. Sleep Number Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.