Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF – Get Free Report) and Lendway (NASDAQ:LDWY – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Village Farms International and Lendway, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Village Farms International | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Lendway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Village Farms International currently has a consensus target price of $1.20, suggesting a potential upside of 66.67%. Given Village Farms International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Village Farms International is more favorable than Lendway.
Valuation and Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Village Farms International | $327.85 million | 0.25 | -$31.80 million | ($0.45) | -1.60 |
| Lendway | $31.58 million | 0.26 | $2.41 million | ($1.98) | -2.37 |
Lendway has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Village Farms International. Lendway is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Village Farms International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
Village Farms International has a beta of 2.18, suggesting that its share price is 118% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lendway has a beta of 1.9, suggesting that its share price is 90% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
12.1% of Village Farms International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.6% of Lendway shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.5% of Village Farms International shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.2% of Lendway shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Village Farms International and Lendway’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Village Farms International | -15.16% | -8.26% | -5.37% |
| Lendway | N/A | -21.56% | -4.32% |
Summary
Village Farms International beats Lendway on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Village Farms International
Village Farms International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and sells greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers in North America. It operates through four segments: Produce, Cannabis-Canada, Cannabis-U.S., and Energy. The company also produces and supplies cannabis products to other licensed providers and provincial governments in Canada and internationally; develops and sells cannabinoid-based health and wellness products, including ingestible, edibles, and topical applications; and produces power. It markets and distributes its products under the Village Farms brand name to retail supermarkets and fresh food distribution companies, as well as products produced under exclusive and non-exclusive arrangements from greenhouse supply partners. The company was formerly known as Village Farms Canada Inc. and changed its name to Village Farms International, Inc. in December 2009. Village Farms International, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Delta, Canada.
About Lendway
Lendway, Inc. operates as a specialty agricultural and finance company focusing on making and managing its agricultural investments in the United States and internationally. It owns and operates FarmlandCredit.com, a non-bank lending business that seeks to purchase existing loans and/or originate and fund new loans domestically. The company was formerly known as Insignia Systems, Inc. and changed its name to Lendway, Inc. in August 2023. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Receive News & Ratings for Village Farms International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Village Farms International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
