BAB (OTCMKTS:BABB – Get Free Report) and McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC – Get Free Report) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares BAB and McCormick & Company, Incorporated”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| BAB | $3.44 million | 1.91 | $560,000.00 | $0.08 | 11.31 |
| McCormick & Company, Incorporated | $6.84 billion | 2.11 | $789.40 million | $2.93 | 18.33 |
Risk & Volatility
BAB has a beta of 0.2, suggesting that its share price is 80% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a beta of 0.58, suggesting that its share price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares BAB and McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| BAB | 16.25% | 16.64% | 11.66% |
| McCormick & Company, Incorporated | 11.54% | 14.27% | 6.14% |
Dividends
BAB pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. BAB pays out 50.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. McCormick & Company, Incorporated pays out 65.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has raised its dividend for 38 consecutive years. BAB is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
79.7% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated shares are owned by institutional investors. 33.7% of BAB shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.6% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings for BAB and McCormick & Company, Incorporated, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| BAB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| McCormick & Company, Incorporated | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2.33 |
McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a consensus price target of $70.60, suggesting a potential upside of 31.47%. Given McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe McCormick & Company, Incorporated is more favorable than BAB.
Summary
McCormick & Company, Incorporated beats BAB on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About BAB
BAB, Inc. franchises and licenses bagel and muffin retail units under the Big Apple Bagels (BAB), My Favorite Muffin (MFM), and SweetDuet (SD) trade names in the United States. It's BAB franchised brand includes daily baked bagels, flavored cream cheeses, premium coffees, gourmet bagel sandwiches, and other related products; and MFM brand comprises various freshly baked muffins and coffees, as well as units operating as My Favorite Muffin Your All Day Bakery Café features specialty bagel sandwiches and related products. The company's SD brand includes frozen yogurt products. BAB, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois.
About McCormick & Company, Incorporated
McCormick & Co., Inc. engages in the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to retail outlets, food manufacturers, and foodservice businesses. It operates through the Consumer and Flavor Solutions segments. The Consumer segment sells spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces. The Flavor Solutions segment includes seasoning blends, spices and herbs, condiments, coating systems, and compound flavors. The company was founded by Willoughby M. McCormick in 1889 and is headquartered in Baltimore, MD.
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