Head-To-Head Contrast: Ingles Markets (NASDAQ:IMKTA) vs. Coles Group (OTCMKTS:CLEGF)

Ingles Markets (NASDAQ:IMKTA) and Coles Group (OTCMKTS:CLEGF) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, earnings, risk and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ingles Markets and Coles Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ingles Markets	$5.45 billion	0.22	$105.54 million	$4.14	15.00
Coles Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ingles Markets has higher revenue and earnings than Coles Group.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Ingles Markets and Coles Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ingles Markets	0	0	0	0	0.00
Coles Group	0	0	2	0	3.00

Coles Group has a consensus target price of $22.00, indicating a potential upside of 96.43%. Given Coles Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Coles Group is more favorable than Ingles Markets.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

62.5% of Ingles Markets shares are held by institutional investors. 22.8% of Ingles Markets shares are held by company 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 Ingles Markets and Coles Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ingles Markets	1.45%	5.09%	3.13%
Coles Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Ingles Markets beats Coles Group on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ingles Markets

Ingles Markets, Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of supermarkets in the southeast United States. It offers food products, including grocery, meat and dairy products, produce, frozen foods, and other perishables; and non-food products, which include fuel centers, pharmacies, health and beauty care products, and general merchandise, as well as private label items. The company owns and operates a milk processing and packaging plant that supplies organic milk, fruit juices, and bottled water products to other retailers, food service distributors, and grocery warehouses. In addition, it provides home meal replacement items, delicatessens, bakeries, floral departments, and greeting cards, as well as broad selections of local organic, beverage, and health-related items. The company operates under the Ingles and Sav-Mor brand names. Ingles Markets, Incorporated was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina.

About Coles Group

Coles Group Limited operates as a retailer in Australia. It operates through Supermarkets and Liquor segments. The company operates various supermarkets; and coles.com.au, which offers a choice of home delivery, including same-day, overnight drop and go services, and pick up from click and collect locations. Its Coles Financial Services provides insurance, credit cards, and personal loans to Australian families. The company is also involved in the retailing of liquor through its various stores under the Liquorland, First Choice, First Choice Liquor, and Vintage Cellars brand names. In addition, it operates as flybuys loyalty program. The company was formerly known as Coles Myer Ltd. and changed its name to Coles Group Limited. Coles Group Limited was founded in 1914 and is based in Hawthorn East, Australia.