J. W. Mays (NASDAQ:MAYS – Get Free Report) and Howard Hughes (NYSE:HHH – Get Free Report) are both real estate companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for J. W. Mays and Howard Hughes, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| J. W. Mays | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Howard Hughes | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.75 |
Howard Hughes has a consensus target price of $81.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.56%. Given Howard Hughes’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Howard Hughes is more favorable than J. W. Mays.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
3.2% of J. W. Mays shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.8% of Howard Hughes shares are held by institutional investors. 40.8% of J. W. Mays shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 47.7% of Howard Hughes shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility
J. W. Mays has a beta of 0.2, indicating that its share price is 80% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Howard Hughes has a beta of 1.14, indicating that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares J. W. Mays and Howard Hughes’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| J. W. Mays | -5.37% | -2.21% | -1.30% |
| Howard Hughes | 12.31% | 7.51% | 2.41% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares J. W. Mays and Howard Hughes”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| J. W. Mays | $22.47 million | 3.58 | -$140,000.00 | ($0.58) | -68.62 |
| Howard Hughes | $1.47 billion | 2.84 | $123.90 million | $4.94 | 14.19 |
Howard Hughes has higher revenue and earnings than J. W. Mays. J. W. Mays is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Howard Hughes, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Howard Hughes beats J. W. Mays on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About J. W. Mays
J.W. Mays, Inc. owns, operates, and leases commercial real estate properties in United States. The company's properties are located in Brooklyn, Jamaica, Fishkill, Levittown, and Massapequa of New York; and Circleville of Ohio. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.
About Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate development company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists of developed or acquired retail, office, and multi-family properties along with other retail investments. Its MPCs segment develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial land designated for long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona. The Seaport segment is involved in the landlord operations, managed businesses, and events and sponsorships services of its restaurant, retail, and entertain properties in Pier 17, New York City; Historic Area/Uplands; and Tin Building, as well as in 250 Water Street and in the Jean-Georges restaurants. The Strategic Development segment develops and redevelops residential condominiums and commercial properties. It serves homebuilders. Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.
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