Contrasting Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 (NYSE:SHAP) and MultiPlan (NYSE:MPLN)

Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 (NYSE:SHAP) and MultiPlan (NYSE:MPLN) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, risk, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

9.9% of Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.2% of MultiPlan shares are held by institutional investors. 58.4% of Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.0% of MultiPlan shares are held by company 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 and MultiPlan”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Spree Acquisition Corp. 1	N/A	N/A	$4.35 million	($0.01)	-1,091.00
MultiPlan	$930.62 million	1.13	-$91.70 million	($101.54)	-0.64

Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 has higher earnings, but lower revenue than MultiPlan. Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MultiPlan, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 and MultiPlan’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Spree Acquisition Corp. 1	N/A	-22.17%	6.72%
MultiPlan	-163.30%	-12.14%	-1.84%

Risk and Volatility

Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 has a beta of -0.02, meaning that its stock price is 102% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MultiPlan has a beta of 0.13, meaning that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 and MultiPlan, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Spree Acquisition Corp. 1	0	0	0	0	0.00
MultiPlan	0	1	0	0	2.00

MultiPlan has a consensus price target of $12.50, indicating a potential downside of 80.80%. Given MultiPlan’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe MultiPlan is more favorable than Spree Acquisition Corp. 1.

Summary

MultiPlan beats Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Spree Acquisition Corp. 1

Spree Acquisition Corp. 1 Limited does not have significant operations. It focuses on effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses in the mobility-related technology businesses. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

About MultiPlan

MultiPlan Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides data analytics and technology-enabled cost management, payment, and revenue integrity solutions to the healthcare industry in the United States. The company offers analytics-based services that reduce medical costs, through data-driven algorithms and insights that detect claims over-charges and negotiate or recommend reimbursement; and network-based services that provide contracted discounts with healthcare providers, as well as outsourced network development and management services. It provides payment and revenue integrity services, such as identifying and removing improper and unnecessary charges paid during the claim, as well as services to identify and help restore and preserve underpaid premium dollars. In addition, the company offers data and decision science services including a suite of solutions that apply modern methods of data science to produce descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics that drive optimized benefit plan design, support decision-making, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce the total cost of care; and business-to-business healthcare payments and other services. It serves national and regional insurance companies, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, provider-sponsored and independent health plans, TPAs, self-insured health plans, property and casualty insurers, bill review companies, and other companies involved in the claim adjudication process. MultiPlan Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in New York, New York.