Head-To-Head Comparison: Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Agritek (OTCMKTS:AGTK)

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Agritek (OTCMKTS:AGTK) are both business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Western Union and Agritek, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Western Union	4	10	0	0	1.71
Agritek	0	0	0	0	0.00

Western Union presently has a consensus target price of $8.80, indicating a potential downside of 3.56%. Given Agritek’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Agritek is more favorable than Western Union.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

91.8% of Western Union shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.6% of Western Union shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.9% of Agritek shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Western Union and Agritek”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Western Union	$4.21 billion	0.69	$934.20 million	$2.29	3.98
Agritek	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than Agritek.

Profitability

This table compares Western Union and Agritek’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Western Union	18.80%	60.85%	6.97%
Agritek	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

Western Union has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Agritek has a beta of -0.35, suggesting that its share price is 135% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Western Union beats Agritek on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices. The Consumer Services segments offers bill payment services, which facilitate payments for consumers, businesses, and other organizations, as well as money order services, retail foreign exchange services, prepaid cards, lending partnerships, and digital wallets. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Agritek

Agritek Holdings, Inc. distributes hemp and cannabis products under the Hemp Pops, MD Vapes, Rehab Rx, Higher Society, and California Premiums brands in the United States. Its products include human ingestible, such as tinctures, capsules, and gummies; CBD edibles; topicals; and pet products. The company also offers business services, including operational and compliance consulting, funding and financing, dispensary and retail, commercial production and equipment build out, multichannel supply chain, and consumer product, as well as branding, marketing, and sales solutions. In addition, it is involved in the acquisition and leasing of real estate properties, such as cultivation space and related facilities to licensed marijuana growers and dispensary owners. Agritek Holdings, Inc. distributes its products through e-commerce websites comprising RehabRx.com and Hemppops.com; third-party e-commerce websites; and various brick and mortar retailers. The company was formerly known as MediSwipe Inc. and changed its name to Agritek Holdings, Inc. in April 2014. Agritek Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.