Contrasting Want Want China (OTCMKTS:WWNTY) and Ajinomoto (OTCMKTS:AJINY)

Ajinomoto (OTCMKTS:AJINY) and Want Want China (OTCMKTS:WWNTY) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Dividends

Ajinomoto pays an annual dividend of $0.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Want Want China pays an annual dividend of $0.95 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Ajinomoto pays out 21.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ajinomoto and Want Want China”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ajinomoto	$10.05 billion	2.72	$463.80 million	$0.83	33.69
Want Want China	$3.23 billion	2.03	$600.91 million	N/A	N/A

Want Want China has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Ajinomoto.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Ajinomoto and Want Want China, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ajinomoto	0	2	0	1	2.67
Want Want China	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Ajinomoto and Want Want China’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ajinomoto	N/A	N/A	N/A
Want Want China	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

Ajinomoto has a beta of 0.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Want Want China has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its stock price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Ajinomoto beats Want Want China on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ajinomoto

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. engages in the seasonings and foods, frozen foods, and healthcare and other businesses in Japan and internationally. The Seasonings and Foods segment offers sauces and seasoning products under the AJI-NO-MOTO, HON-DASHI, Cook Do, Ajinomoto KK Consommé, Pure Select Mayonnaise, Ros Dee, Masako, Aji-ngon, Sazón, Sajiku, and CRISPY FRY names; and solutions and ingredients for foodservice and processed food manufacturers, processed foods, and restaurants, as well as industrial, retail, and other applications. This segment also provides instant noodles under the Knorr Cup Soup and YumYum names; coffee beverages under the Birdy and Blendy brands; powdered drink under the Birdy 3in1 name; MAXIM brand products; Chyotto Zeitakuna Kohiten brand products; and gift sets and office supplies comprising coffee vending machines, tea servers, etc. The Frozen Foods segment offers Chinese dumplings, cooked rice, noodles, desserts, shumai, processed chicken, and other products under the AJINOMOTO FRESH FROZEN, Bernardi, FRED’S, Golden Tiger, José Olé, LingLing, POSADA, and TAI PEI brands. The Healthcare and Other segment provides amino acids for applications in various industries, such as pharmaceuticals and foods; contract development and manufacturing services for pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients, aseptic fill finish services, etc.; personal care ingredients; and medical foods, crop services, etc. This segment also offers Ajinomoto Build-up Film, an interlayer insulating material for semiconductor packages; fundamental foods under the Glyna and Amino Aile names; sports nutrition supplements under the amino VITAL brand; and functional materials, such as activated carbon, release paper, etc. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Want Want China

Want Want China Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells food and beverages. The company operates through four segments: Rice Crackers, Dairy Products and Beverages, Snack Foods, and Other Products. It offers sugar coated crackers, savoury crackers, fried crackers, and gift packs; flavored milk, room temperature yogurt, yogurt drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, juice and sports drinks, herbal tea, and milk powder; candies, popsicles, ball cakes and jellies, beans, nuts, and other snacks; and wine and other food products. The company also trades in food and beverages, and related activities online, as well as raw materials, machineries, etc.; sells chemical materials and plastic films/bags; manufactures and sells machineries and related services; manufactures dehydrating, deoxidating, preservative, and related products; manufactures and sells packaging materials, packing bags, carton boxes, and cans; provides consultancy, information, business, and network technology services; processes and sells rice and oil products; and manufactures and sells rice flour. In addition, it engages in the agricultural planting and management, and livestock and poultry breeding businesses. It serves customers through a sales and distribution network primarily in the People's Republic of China. The company also exports its products to North America, East Asia, South East Asia, and Europe. Want The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong.