Head-To-Head Contrast: Hf Foods Group (NASDAQ:HFFG) and Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ)

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) and Hf Foods Group (NASDAQ:HFFG) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and profitability.

Risk & Volatility

Utz Brands has a beta of 1, indicating that its stock price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, Hf Foods Group has a beta of 0.52, indicating that its stock price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

96.0% of Utz Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.0% of Hf Foods Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.3% of Utz Brands shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 7.0% of Hf Foods Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Utz Brands and Hf Foods Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Utz Brands	0.39%	8.12%	4.02%
Hf Foods Group	-3.71%	8.01%	3.33%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Utz Brands and Hf Foods Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Utz Brands	$1.41 billion	0.96	$15.97 million	$0.07	135.86
Hf Foods Group	$1.23 billion	0.10	-$48.51 million	($0.86)	-2.76

Utz Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Hf Foods Group. Hf Foods Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Utz Brands, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Utz Brands and Hf Foods Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Utz Brands	1	2	5	0	2.50
Hf Foods Group	1	0	1	0	2.00

Utz Brands presently has a consensus target price of $14.93, indicating a potential upside of 56.98%. Hf Foods Group has a consensus target price of $7.00, indicating a potential upside of 195.36%. Given Hf Foods Group’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hf Foods Group is more favorable than Utz Brands.

Summary

Utz Brands beats Hf Foods Group on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Utz Brands

Utz Brands, Inc. engages in manufacture, marketing, and distribution of snack foods. It offers a range of salty snacks, including salty snacks, including potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, pork skins, veggie snacks, pub/party mixes, tortilla chips, salsa and dips, ready-to-eat popcorn, and other snacks under the Utz, Zapp’s, ON THE BORDER, Golden Flake, Boulder Canyon, Hawaiian, TORTIYAHS!, etc. The company sells its products to wholesale and other distributors, grocery stores, convenience and drug stores, discount stores, mass merchandisers, membership club stores, hard discounters, and specialty and e-commerce retailers. Utz Brands, Inc. was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

About Hf Foods Group

HF Foods Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, markets and distributes Asian specialty food, seafood, fresh produce, frozen and dry food, and non-food products to Asian and Chinese restaurants, and other foodservice customers in the United States. The company offers seafood, including lobsters, shrimp, crabs, scallops, and fish; Asian specialty food items, including noodles, rice, dried mushrooms and beans, sauces and seasonings, and spring rolls, as well as canned products, such as preserved vegetables, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts; and meat and poultry products, including beef, pork, chicken, and duck. It also provides fresh produce products, such as vegetables and fruits; commodities comprising oil, flour, sugar, and salt; and packaging and other items including take-out accessories. HF Foods Group Inc. is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.