Comparing Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) and Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT)

Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT) and Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Planet Fitness and Lindblad Expeditions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Planet Fitness	15.97%	-126.58%	8.08%
Lindblad Expeditions	-4.03%	N/A	-1.20%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

95.5% of Planet Fitness shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.9% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.9% of Planet Fitness shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 34.0% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Planet Fitness and Lindblad Expeditions, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Planet Fitness	0	3	12	1	2.88
Lindblad Expeditions	1	1	2	0	2.25

Planet Fitness currently has a consensus price target of $119.92, suggesting a potential upside of 11.46%. Lindblad Expeditions has a consensus price target of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 33.44%. Given Lindblad Expeditions’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Lindblad Expeditions is more favorable than Planet Fitness.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Planet Fitness and Lindblad Expeditions”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Planet Fitness	$1.18 billion	7.58	$172.04 million	$2.45	43.92
Lindblad Expeditions	$644.73 million	1.09	-$31.18 million	($0.66)	-19.30

Planet Fitness has higher revenue and earnings than Lindblad Expeditions. Lindblad Expeditions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Planet Fitness, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Planet Fitness has a beta of 1.28, indicating that its share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lindblad Expeditions has a beta of 2.36, indicating that its share price is 136% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Planet Fitness beats Lindblad Expeditions on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates fitness centers under the Planet Fitness brand. The company operates through three segments: Franchise, Corporate-Owned Stores, and Equipment. The company is involved in franchising business in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia. It engages in the sale of fitness equipment to franchisee-owned stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In addition, the company operates corporate-owned stores in the United States and Canada. Planet Fitness, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire.

About Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. provides marine expedition adventures and travel experience worldwide. It operates through Lindblad and Land Experiences segment. Lindblad segment provides ship-based expeditions aboard customized, nimble, and intimately-scaled vessels, which offers up-close experiences in the planet's wild and remote places, and capitals of culture; and offers expedition ship which is equipped with state-of-the-art tools for in-depth exploration with infrastructure and ports, such as Antarctica and the Arctic, and places that accessed by a ship comprising Galápagos Islands, Alaska, Baja California's Sea of Cortez and Panama, and foster engagement activities. The Land Experiences segment comprises natural habitats, which provides over 100 different expedition itineraries in more than 45 countries across seven continents, with eco-conscious expeditions and nature-focused, and small-group tours including polar bear tours and bear adventure; and DuVine provides intimate group cycling and adventure tours around the world with local cycling experts as guides in local cultural, cuisine, and accommodations. This segment also offers off the beaten path including small group travel, led by local, and experienced guides with focus on wildlife, hiking national parks, and culture; and classical journey, a curated active small-group and private custom journeys centered around cinematic walks led by expert local guides over 50 countries across the world. In addition, it has an alliance with National Geographic Partners, LLC, which provides lecturers and National Geographic experts including photographers, marine biologists, writers, naturalists, field researchers, and film crews; and partnered with World Wildlife Fund to offer conservation travel. Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in New York, New York.