Proficient Auto Logistics (NASDAQ:PAL) & U-Haul (NYSE:UHAL) Financial Comparison

U-Haul (NYSE:UHAL) and Proficient Auto Logistics (NASDAQ:PAL) are both transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares U-Haul and Proficient Auto Logistics”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
U-Haul	$5.83 billion	1.74	$367.09 million	$0.48	107.60
Proficient Auto Logistics	$430.42 million	0.44	-$36.02 million	($1.22)	-5.60

U-Haul has higher revenue and earnings than Proficient Auto Logistics. Proficient Auto Logistics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than U-Haul, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

3.6% of U-Haul shares are held by institutional investors. 43.6% of U-Haul shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 13.9% of Proficient Auto Logistics shares are held by 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.

Profitability

This table compares U-Haul and Proficient Auto Logistics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
U-Haul	2.14%	1.64%	0.61%
Proficient Auto Logistics	-7.77%	1.24%	0.82%

Volatility & Risk

U-Haul has a beta of 1.11, indicating that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Proficient Auto Logistics has a beta of 2.24, indicating that its stock price is 124% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for U-Haul and Proficient Auto Logistics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
U-Haul	1	1	0	1	2.33
Proficient Auto Logistics	1	1	2	0	2.25

U-Haul currently has a consensus price target of $80.00, suggesting a potential upside of 54.89%. Proficient Auto Logistics has a consensus price target of $11.00, suggesting a potential upside of 61.05%. Given Proficient Auto Logistics’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Proficient Auto Logistics is more favorable than U-Haul.

Summary

U-Haul beats Proficient Auto Logistics on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About U-Haul

AMERCO operates as a do-it-yourself moving and storage operator for household and commercial goods in the United States and Canada. The company’s Moving and Storage segment rents trucks, trailers, portable moving and storage units, specialty rental items, and self-storage spaces primarily to the household movers; and sells moving supplies, towing accessories, and propane. It also provides uhaul.com, an online marketplace that connects consumers to independent Moving Help service providers and independent self-storage affiliates; auto transport and tow dolly options to transport vehicles; and specialty boxes for dishes, computers, and sensitive electronic equipment, as well as tapes, security locks, and packing supplies. This segment rents its products and services through a network of approximately 2,065 company operated retail moving stores and 20,100 independent U-Haul dealers. As of March 31, 2020, it had a rental fleet of approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers, and 41,000 towing devices; and 1,745 self-storage locations with approximately 774,000 rentable storage units. The company’s Property and Casualty Insurance segment offers loss adjusting and claims handling services. It also provides moving and storage protection packages, such as Safemove and Safetow packages, which offer moving and towing customers with a damage waiver, cargo protection, and medical and life insurance coverage; Safestor that protects storage customers from loss on their goods in storage; Safestor Mobile, which protects customers stored belongings; and Safemove Plus, which provides rental customers with a layer of primary liability protection. The company’s Life Insurance segment provides life and health insurance products primarily to the senior market through the direct writing and reinsuring of life insurance, medicare supplement, and annuity policies. AMERCO was founded in 1945 and is based in Reno, Nevada.

About Proficient Auto Logistics

Proficient Auto Logistics, Inc. focuses on providing auto transportation and logistics services in North America. It primarily focuses on transporting and delivering finished vehicles from automotive production facilities, ports of entry, and rail yards to a network of automotive dealerships. The company operates approximately 1,130 auto transport vehicles and trailers, including 615 company-owned transport vehicles and trailers. It serves auto companies, electric vehicle producers, auto dealers, auto auctions, rental car companies, and auto leasing companies. The company was formerly known as AH Acquisition Corp. and changed its name to Proficient Auto Logistics, Inc. in October 2023. The company was incorporated in 2023 and is based in Jacksonville, Florida.